Dis-seeds

On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd stood along the shore.

And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep, and when the sun rose it was scorched, and it withered for lack of roots. Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it. But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold. Whoever has ears ought to hear.” (Matthew 13:1-9)

Seeds of dishonesty, disinformation, distrust and distancing are seeds that should never be sowed, but those seeds are scattered far and wide by many of us especially in the interest of our political and/or religious beliefs.  We, or they, look for large crowds to entice with words designed to fool and promote anger and hate for those who are different from us in culture, religion, race, or politics.  Most of the time this happens when we are fearful, threatened and/or feel ignored. We fray.

Bad dis-seeds should be sowed on paths where birds come to eat it up.  Those birds are “us” when we refuse to let these seeds germinate and grow in ourselves or others. 

Bad dis-seeds should be sowed on rocky ground with little soil meaning we harden ourselves with truthful facts and figures and with our Catholic-instilled moral values making us unreceptive to lies and propaganda, especially that which is anti-Christ thinking and action, such as scapegoating.

Bad dis-seeds should be sowed among thorns meaning we have sharp and immediate responses to dishonesty, disinformation, distrust and distancing.  We refuse to “dis” other people by treating them with disrespect or contempt.  

Our peril is when we are rich soil for bad dis-seeds, and we then produce rotten fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold. When we are receptive to and are fertile ground for rumor, social media excrement, conspiracy theories, and lies that confirm our biases, we become a cornucopia of weeds of every kind and color.  They choke off truth and opposite points of views.  We don’t listen.

We with ears ought to hear.  Otherwise, we invite dis-ease and dis-aster.

Deacon David Pierce