by Father Alonzo Q. Cox
God has blessed me with many talents and strengths throughout my life. But one of the things that I am not very good at is gardening, particularly planting. Every plant that I seem to have ends up dying.
When I moved into St. Clare’s rectory four years ago, I was given a green houseplant as a housewarming gift from a parishioner. I was adamant about keeping this plant alive. I placed it on the sill of one of the windows in my living room. I made sure it got plenty of sunlight, and I watered it frequently.
But over the course of a few weeks, I began to see the leaves droop, and the beautiful color of green turned to dark brown. Obviously, I was doing something very wrong.
I decided to relocate the plant from my living room to my office, which is downstairs. I thought relocation might help a bit. Our housekeeper here at the rectory saw how my plant was at the point of death and asked me if she could take care of it. Of course, I said absolutely!
Within a few weeks, I saw a massive change to my houseplant. Brand new leaves had appeared, and there was an array of beautiful green and white leaves that were budding. And there was a brand new pot.
Amazed at what I saw, I had to ask her, “What did you do to get this plant back to life again?” She said to me, “You were putting too much water into it, and it needed a larger pot.”
When she got the new planter for my dying plant, she put new seeds in the pot for them to rise and grow into the beautiful plant that it is to this very day.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus gives us the parable of the sower. When the sower went out to sow, some seed fell on rocky ground and had very little soil, and the seed was unable to produce anything. Then some seed fell on rich soil and produced an abundance of fruit.
We are the seed! But unfortunately, there are times in our lives that we are stuck in that rocky soil and we are unable to grow and flourish in the love and mercy of the Lord.
Taking Root
The one word that jumps out at me the most in the Gospel passage is “root.” Our lives have to be rooted in Jesus. As Matthew tells us, “The seed sown on rocky ground is the one who heard the word and receives it at once with joy. But he has no root and lasts only for a time.”
For a seed to flourish, and for a plant to grow, its roots have to be healthy. We hear in today’s first reading from the prophet Isaiah that the Word of God is meant to make its dwelling within us. The seed, which is watered from the heavens, is the Word, and it is meant to flourish and grow within our very selves.
When our lives are rooted in Jesus Christ, we can combat worldly anxieties and the lure of fame and fortune. We are able to truly and whole-heartedly receive the word of God. Once we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, we are able to grow and flourish so that others see Him through us.
When others are able to see Jesus in us and though us, that is how we are able to yield the fruits of His redemption – whether its 100-fold, 60-fold or 30-fold.
Every time I look at my houseplant here in my office, I thank God for the gift of my housekeeper who kept it alive but, more importantly, that through her I was able to see something that was in the realm of despair and hopelessness come back to life!
Let us pray every day that our lives will always and forever be rooted in the love and mercy of Jesus Christ, who is truly the Word of God alive in our hearts.[hr]
Readings for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time:
Isaiah 55: 10-11
Psalm 65: 10, 11, 12-13, 14
Romans 8: 18-23
Matthew 13: 1-9 or
Matthew 13: 1-23[hr]
Father Alonzo Q. Cox is the parochial vicar at St. Clare Church, Rosedale, and the diocesan coordinator of Black Catholic Concerns.