Before I came back to IPF after the ordination of Fr. Cory Stanley, I had the opportunity to go to Sunday Mass at my home parish. After Mass, I came up to my pastor to ask him for a copy of his homily, it was that impactual.
In today's Gospel, we heard about the sower who "went out to sow." But the point made by my pastor today was to emphasize the idea of how wildly and "helter-skelter" the seed was flung about. As Msgr. Weisenburger stated in his homily:
"We shake our heads not only at the inefficiency of the sower's efforts, but at the whole issue of extravagance and waste which this parable symbolizes."
What an interesting concept. Extravagance and waste on the part of the sower. I had never thought of this parable in that light. I had always approached this story within the context of how one receives the seed by the sower -- that it was the responsibility of the person who received the seed to ensure its growth.
While this is very true -- how we receive God and His graces in our lives is contingent on the level of receptivity we have toward God -- what is often forgotten is the very fact the God's gifts to us are just that: gifts, and extravagantly given at that. They are gifts that first must be given in order that we might receive.
In the same way that Christ shows his love to us in such abundance and extravagance, so also are we called to give abundantly, without counting the cost. As Msgr. expresses so eloquently:
"... we are compelled, as God's sowers, to scatter our seeds for faith, hope, and love wherever and to whomever we can, for without us, there would be less of God's splendor in the world."
he concluded his homily with one of the most powerful quotes I have heard to date:
"Be in love with the sowing. Leave the rest to God."
Amen. Thank you for your wonderful homily, Msgr. God Bless you!
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