THE HIDDEN POWER
OF THE GOSPEL
The parable of the sower is an invitation to hope. The sowing of the Gospel, all too often without fruits because of all kinds of upsets and oppositions, has an uncontrollable power. In spite of all the obstacles and difficulties, and though with very diverse results, the sowing ends in a fruitful harvest that makes us forget other failures.
We mustn’t lose confidence because of the apparent powerlessness of God’s reign. It always appears that «God’s cause» is in decline and that the Gospel is something insignificant and futureless. Yet that’s not the case. The Gospel isn’t a moral or a policy, not even a religion with a greater or lesser future. The Gospel is the saving power of God «sown» by Jesus in the heart of the world and of the life of human beings.
Pushed by the sensationalism of today’s media, it seems that we only have eyes to see bad things. And we no longer know how to foretell that power of life that is found hidden beneath the most disheartening appearances.
If we could observe life in its interior, it would surprise us to find so much goodness, self-giving, sacrifice, generosity and true love. There is violence and blood in the world, but the desire for a true peace is growing in many people. Selfish consumerism imposes itself in our society, but there are many who discover the joy of a simple and shared life. Indifference seems to have extinguished religion, but in not a few people there awakens the nostalgia of God and the need for prayer.
The transforming power of the Gospel is working there in humanity. The thirst for justice and for love will keep growing. What Jesus sows won’t end in failure. What is asked of us is to welcome the seed. Don’t we discover within our very selves that power that doesn’t come from us and that invites us without ceasing to grow, to be more human, to transform our lives, to weave new relationships between people, to live more transparently, to open ourselves more truly to God?
José Antonio Pagola
Translator: Fr. Jay VonHandorf
