Homily on Luke 8:4-15 : The Parable of the Sower (20-9-25)

 A homily on Luke 8:4-15, the Parable of the Sower, showing how prayer, fasting, and penance root us in Christ and give strength in family and religious life. ( 20-9-25)

Praise be to Jesus Christ 

There is something very striking about the African bamboo plant. After it is planted, for almost five years, nothing seems to happen above the soil. Farmers water it, care for it, and protect it, yet it remains small and almost invisible. People may even think it is useless. Nevertheless, during those years, the bamboo grows downward, sending its roots deep and wide underground.  Once it is rooted and ready, it slowly begins to grow outward, and in just a few weeks, it can shoot up to nearly ninety feet. The secret of the bamboo is its roots.

Jesus tells us in today’s Gospel, “The seed that fell on the rock are those who hear the word with joy, but they have no root” (Luke 8:13). This is the danger of our times. We want quick growth, quick fruits, and quick results. Faith that rises without roots is like jungle trees that grow fast, but the first strong wind will make them fall. When there is a little criticism or temptation, when there is some suffering or delay, they cannot stand because their roots are weak.

What then is the root of Christian life? It is prayer, fasting, and penance. A person who does not pray is like a plant without roots. Outwardly everything may look green for a while, but sooner or later it will wither. Prayer sends our heart deep into God. Fasting disciplines our desires and clears our soul. Penance makes our faith strong and firm. Without these, we may grow in numbers, in activity, in outward show, but not in lasting fruit.

In the Old Testament, the prophet Isaiah lamented that Israel, though planted by the Lord, produced only wild grapes (Isaiah 5:1–4). Why? Because they were not rooted in obedience and sacrifice. On the other hand, Jeremiah gives us hope: “Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord. He will be like a tree planted by the water, sending out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes, its leaves are always green” (Jeremiah 17:7–8). Such a tree will not fear heat or drought because its roots are connected to life.

 When we look at the saints of the Church, we see that they understood this truth and lived it in its fullness. Saint Teresa of Avila says that prayer is the foundation of everything. Without prayer, there can be no strength to face trials. Saint John of the Cross, the mystical doctor of the Church, reminds us that penance and fasting are not punishments but ways of making roots deeper so that no storm of temptation can uproot us. These saints did not rise quickly like wild jungle trees. They grew slowly, sending their roots deep into God, and that is why their fruits remain even today.

Many families today have forgotten this wisdom. Family prayer is often absent, fasting and abstinence are neglected, and as a result, there is no inner strength to face difficulties. Without prayer, arguments increase, peace disappears, and when trials come, families collapse. A family that prays together, that keeps small acts of fasting and penance together, is a family with deep roots. Even when storms come, such a family stands firm.

This is true also in religious life. Too often prayer has become a peripheral reality, a duty on the timetable rather than the root of our life. Without deep prayer, fasting, and penance, even religious communities risk becoming weak, busy on the surface but dry at the core.

Someone once said, “You must be rooted in Christ, or you will be uprooted.” This is the choice before us.  Now it is time for us to pause for a while and reflect on whether we want to rise quickly like jungle trees and fall quickly, or whether we want to be like the bamboo, hidden for a while, deeply rooted in Christ and unshakable when the time comes? The root may be unseen, but it is what decides the fruit.

Lord Jesus, help me to be rooted in You, so that I may not be shaken. Amen.

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