Wednesday, February 19, 2014

2nd February 2010, Abundant Harvest


Van Gogh
2nd February Trinity
Luke 8:14-18

And as a great crowd had gathered, and ever more people streamed to him out of the cities, he spoke in a parable:
A sower went out to sow his seed. As he sowed, some seed fell on the path. It was trodden upon, and the birds of the sky (air) ate it up. Other seed fell upon the rocks, and as it sprouted, it (the sprouting green) withered, because it had no moisture. Still other seed fell under the thorns; the thorns grew with it and choked what came up. And some fell upon good soil, grew, and brought forth fruit a hundredfold. When he had said these things, he called out:
“He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
His disciples asked him what this parable might mean. And he said:
To you it has been given the gift of being able to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of God; but to the others it is given in pictures and parables, for they see and do not yet see, and hear, although they do not yet understand with their thinking. The meaning of the parable is this:
The seed is the Word of God. That which fell upon the path are those who hear it; afterwards the tempter comes and tears the Word out of their hearts, so that they cannot find healing through the trusting power of faith working in them.
Those on the rock are those who, when they hear the Word, take it up with joy; but they remain without root. For a while the power of their faith works in them, but in times of trial they fall away.
What fell under the thorns are those who hear the Word from the spirit, and as they go on their way, the sorrows and the riches and the joys of life choke it, and they bring no fruit to maturity.
And the seed which fell in the good soil are those who hear the Word, and take it up into their hearts, feel its beauty, become noble and worthy and patiently keep it alive, tending it there until it brings forth fruit.
No one lights a light and hides it under a vessel or under a bench; instead he places it on a lamp stand so that all who come in see the light. For nothing is hidden which shall not be revealed, and nothing is secret which shall not be known and proclaimed.
So attend to how you listen. For he who has enlivened in himself the power to bear the spirit, to him more will be given. He however who does not have this power, from him will be taken that which he thinks he has.

2nd February Trinity

February 14, 2010
Luke 8: 14 – 18
  
To create a garden, we have to first break open the soil; we enrich it with compost. Then we plant the seeds, each in their proper season. We water them daily, protecting them from scorching heat, from freezing cold, from drought. We remove the competing weeds. And in time there is an abundant harvest.

This same process applies to the garden of the heart. Sometimes the ground of the heart is broken open through life’s wounding. Otherwise, we undertake to break open the ground of the heart through focusing our listening attention, digging our own hearts open, going deeper. And we enrich the ground of the heart with the compost of all our life experience. Through reading, study and the sacraments, we sow the seed-words of God in the heart’s ground. And when God’s words take heart-root, we attend to them, noticing their beauty. We care for them diligently, daily, removing obstacles to their growth. We protect them from the fierce heat of anger, from the flooding of greed, from the weeds of envy and pride. Through patience and attention, our inner garden grows elevated. It bears a rich harvest. It becomes a fitting place for the Divine Word Himself, the Son of God, to come and to live. And when He does, we will have an abundant heart harvest to offer him.

Thus in the words of St. John of the Cross, we will say,

Within my flowering breast
Which only for Himself I save
He sank into His rest
And all my gifts I gave….[1]





[1] St. John of the Cross, “The Canticle”, quoted in Beauty, by John O’Donohue, p. 236.