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This is both one of the easiest and the most difficult gospel passages to preach on. Easy because we’re all familiar with the parable; difficult because Jesus has already offered us an explanation of what it all means – so how can I improve on that? We don’t need an explanation of the explanation – but we do need to make it relevant to our lives. This has been a week of mixed emotions in the national psyche – the sheer surprise and euphoria of winning the Olympic bid, so cruelly followed the day after by the shock, sadness and outrage caused by the bombs in London. Against this backdrop to our lives, how does the word of God touch us? If the word of God has nothing to say to us in times of joy or sadness, then we have nothing to say to the world about God’s word.
Consider three ficticious parishioners. They are charicatures but there are elements of truth in each one.
Mrs A comes to mass regularly. She is a devout and pious lady, has a great devotion to the blessed sacrament but never takes much notice of the readings at mass and likes to read the newsletter during the homily – that’s if she can sit in a place where the priest can’t see her. Just as you can be sitting in a room with the television on and be oblivious to what’s being said on it – it is possible to hear without listening. Without adjusting the volume, we can hear every word from the television if we choose to stop being distracted and tune in. Mrs A has a problem with tuning in to God’s word and doesn’t realise that a greater appreciation of God’s word will enhance her devotion to the presence of Jesus in his sacrament. She is lacking in understanding.
Mr B appears to be fervent in his faith, is frequently seen at mass and at parish events, doing all the right things at all the right times, but in fact it is all a bit of a show. He is going through the motions and keeping up appearances – maybe he wants to get his children into the right school or get married in church – or maybe he just likes the social life of the parish. In any case what is sad is that he has failed to internalise what is going on around him. His faith is shallow and vulnerable and could easily be quashed by the next enthusiasm or attraction that comes into his life. He has not put down any deep roots.
Then there is Mrs C who comes to do her hour of religion every week. She hears the word of God but leaves it in church behind her. She successfully manages to compartmentalise her religion so that it is kept in a safe watertight box for Sundays. It is easier to cope with that way. She does her duty and fulfils her obligation. She goes home with a clear conscience but a very unclear idea of mission and purpose. She will frequently be distracted by conflicting values and ambitions but these will not impinge on her faith because, for her, religion is a purely private matter. She has failed to integrate the word into her life.
Of course, none of these are real people and yet all of them are. There is something of each one of these in every one of us – that is why the parable of the sower continues to be relevant for us today. To be able to live the word of God in a way which speaks to every situation of our lives we need U D I. Understanding, deep roots and integration. If, as Christians, we are to have a voice in the hopes and joys and the pains and sorrows of our land – then it must be a single voice and it must be the voice of Christ – the Word of God. We need to tune in to that word so that it touches us at more than a superficial level – so that we realise that we only have one life and that life is spiritual because every part of it is touched by God’s word.
Last weekend, Anthony Howard, the author of the official biography of Cardinal Basil Hume, was bemoaning the fact that certain bookshops had classified his book, not under "religion" or even "biography" but under the weird umbrella of "mind, body and soul". As if his book, and indeed our faith, had been relegated into some sort of new age alternative lifestyle. Unless the word of God permeates everything we say and do – then that danger remains.