Msgr. Pope on Why God Would Sow Seed He Knows Will Bear Little or No Fruit

"At Sunday Mass [last week] we heard the parable of the sower.  Afterward, someone asked me the following question: 'Since the sower is the Son of Man, Jesus Himself, why would He, who knows everything ahead of time, sow seed He knew would not bear fruit?'

"First, let’s review the text:

"'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' (Matt 13:1-9).

"So why would God waste any seed on rocky ground, thin soil, or the path?

"Perhaps we can only propose some possible 'answers.' I use quotes around the word because we are in fact touching on some mysteries and can only speculate. . . ."

In a recent commentary, Monsignor Charles Pope (pastor of Holy Comforter-Saint Cyprian Parish, Washington, DC) reflected on some possible reasons for this action of God, including His extravagance ("It is not just seed He scatters liberally; it is everything," including, but not limited to, billions of stars in billions of galaxies, vast numbers of different sorts of insects, mammals, fish, and trees, etc.), His love for and offering of the seed of His Word even to those who will reject Him, and His respect for our freedom.

To access Msgr. Pope's complete post, please visit:

Community in Mission: Why Would God Sow Seed He Knows Will Bear Little or No Fruit? (17 JUL 17)