Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
In the Gospel today, Jesus presents an image of a person who scatters seed and then watches day after day as the seed sprouts, grows, and eventually yields fruit of its own. It is both interesting and important to carefully consider the degree of agency the sower has regarding the growth of the seed. It might at first seem like the sower has a tremendous degree of control over this process. After all, they are the ones who decide when and where to sow as well as whether to plow or otherwise prepare the soil to receive the seed.
At the same time, however, one must take stock of all the many variables completely beyond the control (and even the comprehension) of the sower. First, they did not create the seed. It exists entirely independently of them. Likewise, the sower does not control the sun, the clouds, or the rains. They did not create the field. They did not create the biochemical reactions that fuel the growth of their crops. And so on and so forth. All things considered, the only real agency the sower has is whether they personally choose to participate in the growing process and to what degree they will allow themselves to become personally invested in the project.
The same principles ultimately hold true for each and every one of our undertakings in this life. God has created everything that is and holds all things in existence at every moment in His infinite love. God does empower us to choose and act and grants us real agency in many significant ways. At the same time, we cannot lose sight of the fact that, at the end of the day, all projects belong to God and we are His beloved children who are invited to cooperate in the process.