He told them many things in parables (Mt 13:3a)

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!

I am happy to welcome you to my first general audience. Today I resume the cycle of Jubilee catecheses, on the theme "Jesus Christ Our Hope", opened by Pope Francis .

Today, we continue to meditate on the parables of Jesus, which help us rediscover hope because they show us how God acts in history. Today, I would like to focus on a rather particular parable, because it serves as a kind of introduction to all the parables. I am referring to the parable of the sower (cf. Mt 13:1-17). In a certain way, we can recognize in this story Jesus' way of communicating, which has so much to teach us about proclaiming the Gospel today.

Each parable tells a story drawn from everyday life, but it also seeks to convey something deeper, to point us toward a more profound meaning. The parable challenges us, inviting us not to be deterred by appearances. Faced with the story being told or the image presented, I can ask myself: where am I in this story? What does this image say about my life? The word "parable" comes from the Greek verb "paraballein," which means "to throw before." The parable throws a message before me that provokes me and compels me to question.

The parable of the sower speaks precisely to the dynamics of God's word and the effects it produces. Indeed, each word of the Gospel is like a seed sown in the soil of our lives. Jesus uses the image of the seed several times, with various meanings. In chapter 13 of the Gospel of Matthew, the parable of the sower introduces a series of other short parables, some of which speak specifically of what happens in the soil: the wheat and the tares, the mustard seed, the treasure hidden in the field. What, then, is this soil? It is our hearts, but it is also the world, the community, the Church. The word of God, in fact, makes fruitful and brings about all realities.

At the beginning, we see Jesus leaving the house and a large crowd gathering around him (cf. Mt 13:1). His words fascinate and provoke thought. Among the people, there are obviously many different situations. Jesus' words are addressed to everyone, but they act on each person in a different way. This context allows us to better understand the meaning of the parable.

A rather unusual sower goes out to sow, but he doesn't care where the seed falls. He sows the seeds even where they have little chance of bearing fruit: on the path, among the stones, among the brambles. This attitude astonishes the listener and leads him to wonder: how is this possible?

We are used to calculating things—and sometimes it's necessary—but that doesn't apply to love! The way this "wasteful" sower sows the seed is an image of how God loves us. Indeed, it's true that the fate of the seed also depends on how the soil receives it and the situation it finds itself in, but this parable of Jesus tells us above all that God sows the seed of his word on all kinds of soil, that is, in any of our situations: sometimes we are more superficial and distracted, sometimes we are carried away by enthusiasm, sometimes we are overwhelmed by life's worries, but there are also times when we are available and receptive. God is confident and hopes that sooner or later the seed will blossom. He loves us in this way: he doesn't wait for us to be the best soil; he always generously gives us his word. Perhaps seeing that He trusts us will awaken in us the desire to be a better land. That is hope, founded on the rock of God's generosity and mercy.

By recounting how the seed bears fruit, Jesus is also speaking of his own life. Jesus is the Word; he is the Seed. And the seed, in order to bear fruit, must die. Thus, this parable tells us that God is willing to "spend" for us and that Jesus is willing to die to transform our lives.

I'm thinking of that magnificent painting by Van Gogh: "The Sower at Sunset." This image of the sower under a blazing sun also speaks to me of the peasant's labor. And I'm struck by the fact that, behind the sower, Van Gogh has depicted the already ripe grain. It seems to me that this is an image of hope: somehow, the seed has borne fruit. We don't know exactly how, but it has. In the center of the scene, however, there is no sower, who stands to the side, but the entire painting is dominated by the image of the sun, perhaps to remind us that it is God who sets history in motion, even if he sometimes seems absent or distant. It is the sun that warms the clods of earth and ripens the seed.

Dear brothers and sisters, in what circumstances does the word of God reach us today? Let us ask the Lord for the grace to always welcome this seed that is his word. And if we realize that we are not fertile ground, let us not be discouraged, but let us ask him to work us again to make us better soil.

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I cordially greet the French-speaking pilgrims, in particular the faithful from the parishes of Briançon, St Raphaël, La Réunion and the high school students from Saint Genès-La Salle and the Immaculate Conception.

Let us ask God for the grace to till our hearts into fertile soil: that they may be able to receive and nurture the seed of his Word.

God bless you!