The Gospel reading for this 16th week of Ordinary time in the Christian liturgical calendar is a familiar one, especially for those who like to get their hands dirty either farming, or just planting some flowers around their dwelling place. Jesus is talking about the sowing of seeds and the type of ground they fall upon. The basic gist of Jesus’s story is, the better the soil, the more likely the seed is going to grow. Seems pretty obvious, at least to those experienced with agriculture in some manner. But of course, Jesus is talking in parables, metaphorical stories, so seeds and ground are only the backdrop, the metaphor of what he is getting to. It is pretty common to hear and understand this Gospel story in the context of one’s personal relationship with God, and how an individual is living their personal life. A valid approach. But I would like to offer a different lens. Is there a communal application of this story? As I reflected, I began to see a different story emerge, one speaking to racial and economic justice.

Jesus speaks to four types of soil in this Matthew version of the sowing of the seeds. Adjusting my lens to an equity reading of the story, some different interpretations emerged. Jesus first speaks of seeds falling on a path and the birds eating up those seeds right away. As I think of a path, it is usually a place where the soil has been packed down over years of use and foot travel. I had heard once that it can take up to 100 years for a worn foot path to fully disappear and be restored back to its original natural state due to how much the ground has been compressed by traffic.  As I thought about this, I was reminded of how the history of systemic racism in the United States has produced a cultural terrain or ground, so to speak, that has been harden by years of bigotry and systemic oppression. Bias have been passed down through our children, through our systems, through our bodies, through our cultural expressions, and sadly even through our understanding of the divine. Attempts to address systemic racism and grow new understandings of how God intended the human family to live amongst itself, has met years of hardened attitudes and structures. The footpath of systemic racism has been worn well into our path and direction. It is the easiest path to walk on. But it leads us to the same insidious places unless we venture off the trail to a new human reality.

The second soil Jesus talks about is rocky ground. There is soil there, not much, but enough for seeds to begin to grow. But, there was no room for roots to spread, dig in, and provide nourishment and stability. The sun easily comes along and withers whatever attempts to grow. As I thought about a racial justice application here, I thought of many of us, particularly in the white community who desire to do things differently regarding systemic racism in this country. We try to engage bigotry and systems of oppression with great intent. But, we often tend to wilt, like the seeds in the story, at the first signs of discomfort or lack of knowing what actions we should pursue. I think of the phrase, “white fragility” when I think of the seeds on the rocky soil. Those of us in the white community try for a while to change and grow, but we get tired, impatient, frustrated, and we start to feel insecure or uncomfortable. We eventually wilt away from the conversation. We weren’t grounded in the right soil, the right relationships, the desire to foster impact rather than intent. We weren’t ready to really change the way we approach the field and grow a new type of crop.

Jesus next speaks about thorns that grow up and choke the seeds. There are many voices that wish to impede any change or any advocacy for racial justice and the dismantling of systemic racism. It is easy to point to extremist groups such as the KKK and other white supremacy groups and even Christian nationalists. But we don’t have to look that far. Through our own implicit biases or lack of courage, we often unknowingly join in with those very voices ourselves, but still with harmful impact. For example, I have found myself using phrases rooted in racist origins that I had no knowledge of or failing to challenge jokes and comments made by family and friends where the “humor” is based upon targeting another.  But also sadly, when we are confronted with what power and privilege we may have to give up in the pursuit of racial equity, we often choke off our own desires for equity and change due to the perceived personal cost.

Yet, Jesus offers hope. There is good soil where seeds flourish and yield wonderful fruit. Good soil is created by turning it over, allowing the soil to be exposed to oxygen, to water, to compost, to nutrients brought by the wind or from other life sources. The turning of the soil allows those additives to be sunk further into the toiled soil, so that there is loose and nutrient rich soil that goes beyond the surface deep into the ground. The remnants of the previous year’s harvest, becomes part of the compost in creating new soil as well. The work of racial justice and dismantling systemic racism is a similar process. Our systems, our soil, has to be turned over on a regular basis. Air must be provided for the soil to renew. Many people of color have been cut off from the air, as we saw in the very stark killing of George Floyd. Our systems have made the ground hard, and we must till up the hard ground, packed over the years of slavery, segregation, and continued systemic injustice. And just as the remains of the previous year’s crop, the stems and stalks, are turned over into the tilled soil to provide nourishment and compost for the next year, we also draw upon the examples and wisdom of our elders to provide the compost for growing a just and equitable world, where new and diverse crops can grow providing new tastes we never imagined. 

The question I continue to ask myself, is how willing today, am I to get my hands dirty, tilling new soil for racial equity.

Liturgical Cycle C – Day 235 – July 20, 2022

Wednesday of the Sixteenth Week of Ordinary Time

(St. Apollinaris, opt. memorial)

Readings:        1^st Reading                  Jeremiah 1:1, 4-10

                        Responsorial Psalm     71: 1-4a, 5-6b,15 and 17

                        Gospel                         Matthew 13: 1-9