The Divine Sower still sows—Is our heart ready?

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

THE readings for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) deliver a timeless reminder: God never stops sowing. The Divine Sower tirelessly scatters the seed of his living Word into every human heart, always hoping it will take root, grow, and bear abundant fruit.

The question is not whether God continues to sow. He does. The real question is whether we are the kind of soil that welcomes his Word.

The seed Christ speaks about is no ordinary seed. It is the living and life-giving Word of God. It is meant not merely to inform us but to transform us, shaping us into the sons and daughters God created us to be.

That is why the Church continually urges us to read, meditate on, and live the Scriptures. The Bible is not simply a collection of ancient writings or inspiring literature. It is God’s living voice, speaking to us today with the same power with which it first went forth from his mouth.

The prophet Isaiah beautifully captures this truth. Just as rain and snow descend from heaven to water the earth, making it fruitful and productive, so God’s Word never returns empty. It always fulfills its mission. It accomplishes what God intends and bears fruit wherever it finds a willing heart.

This is why the Gospel never becomes outdated. Its pages may have been written centuries ago, but its message is forever new because it is alive. Every passage has something fresh to say to every generation and to every person. God’s Word speaks to our present circumstances, our struggles, our hopes, and our decisions. It always points us toward the life we are meant to live.

In the Parable of the Sower, Christ describes different kinds of soil. Some hearts are hardened. Others are shallow or distracted. Only the good soil receives the seed, nurtures it, and allows it to produce an abundant harvest.

That parable is not merely a story about people long ago. It is about us. Every day, God sows his Word into our lives through Scripture, prayer, the liturgy, and the events of ordinary life. He continues to guide us, correct us, encourage us, and reveal both the bigger picture of his plan and the practical steps we need to take today.

Becoming good soil requires effort. We must develop the habit of spending quality time with the Gospel—not simply reading it as another book but listening to it with an attentive heart. We should never assume that because we have heard a passage many times, we have exhausted its meaning. God’s Word always has something new to reveal.

St. Jerome expressed this truth with striking simplicity: “Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ.” He also reminded us, “When we pray, we speak to God. When we read Scripture, God speaks to us.”

One particularly fruitful practice is to place ourselves within the Gospel scene. Imagine standing beside Christ. Listen to his words. Observe the people around him. Ask questions. Notice details. Let your imagination, guided by faith, make the scene come alive.

Soon the Gospel stops being a distant story. It becomes your story. Christ’s words become personal. His invitations become concrete. His challenges demand a response.

That is how the seed bears fruit.

The more we allow God’s Word to shape our thoughts, choices, and actions, the more we realize that we are not living by our own strength alone. We are living with Christ, walking beside him each day. And there is no richer, fuller, or more meaningful way to live than as God’s faithful children, nourished constantly by his living Word.

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com