Sowing Seeds with Jesus
Throughout his public ministry, Jesus used parables to convey the mysteries of the kingdom and the plan of salvation. Perhaps one of the most well-known of these parables is the Parable of the Sower.
Our Lord speaks about a sower who plants seed, and how it falls in various areas:
- on the path where the birds eat it;
- on rocky soil where it sprouts early and the young plants are burned by the sun because they lack roots;
- near thorn bushes where the seed eventually grows but the thorns choke it, and finally
- on good soil where it bears fruit in various ways and degrees.
The seed is the Word of God. Ultimately, the seed of the Word is the very person of Jesus Christ given to us through the grace of faith, imparted through the preaching of the Gospel and the Sacramental life of the Church. The various areas where the seed lands are various kinds of people, with hearts prepared — or not — to receive the Word. The obstacles that the seed faces in bearing fruit can be the evil one, our sinful attachments, and our free rejection of the Word. Where the seed bears fruit is where there is a heart open to the Word, which freely accepts the grace of faith. How then do we evangelize in such a way that we will bear more fruit?
Fruitfulness in evangelization is related to four practices that involve our cooperation: 1) Practicing the Faith, 2) Prayer, 3) Penance, and 4) Preaching.
Practicing the Faith involves conformity between the faith that we profess and the daily witness of our lives. Our lives are the platform that we are given from which to preach the Gospel. People are much more likely to listen to the neighbor who is always ready to help and lives a humble, faithful life that shows integrity and consistency. No one truly respects a selfish, messy person who follows only the aspects of the Faith that he or she prefers or finds comfortable.
Prayer – Before and after every significant action in his public ministry, Jesus separated himself from the crowd to go to a lonely place to pray to God the Father. Here, Jesus could love him, thank him, and receive light and strength. Prayer is essential for successful evangelization because it allows us to know the will of God more clearly. It makes us more attuned to the promptings of God in specific situations. It increases charity toward those around us, motivating us to share the Gospel with them. It also invites the Lord into our efforts so that He can strengthen and empower us to do all things, even the impossible.
Penance – Before Jesus began his public ministry, he spent 40 days and nights in the desert praying and fasting. Fasting is an essential ingredient of the whole Christian life. We can offer our involuntary sufferings such as illness, irritating situations, personal losses, or failures – in penance for our sins, and for others. But voluntary sufferings, such as fasting, refraining from overindulgence in food or technology, can also be ways that God empowers our evangelization.
Preaching – The Second Vatican Council reminds us that Jesus perfects and fulfills revelation by both his deeds and his words. Nonverbal communication can say many things, but words can communicate more clearly, and they are necessary for evangelization. What words to use and when to use them is something that is known by prayer and experience.
In the next segment, we will consider how we should address particular people and situations in evangelization. We will also look more into how and how not to evangelize, as well as the link between our efforts and the work of grace.