In our Gospel today, Jesus presents one of the most popular parables ever: he tells the tale of a farmer who goes out to sow seeds for the harvest. We can readily remember the details of the parable: the seed can fall into different situations that can either promote or stunt growth. It is good to take to reflect on what our lockdown experience during the height of Covid was like. It is our sincere and honest prayer that we never have to return to those dark days. We were forced to live at home, unless we were key workers in the health system, those who worked so hard to ensure that supermarket shelves were filled, or those dedicated to cleaning our streets and neighbourhoods. Our homes become our workplace, school, gym, cinema, place of worship and the one place where we could experience total safety. Every week the seed of God's word came to us through our own reading of the text, or our sharing through the internet. Sometimes that Word found us in a good space, and, at other times, the Word spoke to an empty and distracted soul. The fact is that the Word DID speak to us during those days of pandemic and God continues to speak to us whatever our mood or state of being. In 2023, the Word of God continues to speak to us anew as we reflect on this parable. God can speak through the ordinary circumstances of life. As I walked home the other day, I was aware of the singing of the blackbirds in trees around the house. It was simply divine: their singing made me feel good to be alive. I became aware that I was part of a loving creation.

Lockdown liturgy helped us to appreciate that God speaks to us especially in our homes rather than a Church building. The Word of God is sown in our hearts and minds within our own homes, influencing what we say and do and HOW we do it. The prophet Isaiah reminds today us that "my word that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty." As we see in the very first book of the bible, God's word is creative. The incarnation sees the reality of God's WORD through Jesus, "the word made flesh."

If we find the word of God hard to fully comprehend, especially in these difficult times, then we are in very good company-the Gospel tells us that it was the apostles who needed this simple parable explained to them. What space are you in today? How is God's word going to plant itself into our homes and families today? How is that word going to transform us during this coming week? As St James reminds us, words without actions mean nothing and so today we are invited to make that WORD of God a reality in our lives.

Author: Fr Gerry O'Shaughnessy SDB

Photo by Joshua Lanzarini on Unsplash