Once upon a time
a very grand stately home
in England
slowly fell into
a state of disrepair –
paint peeling off,
tiles missing from the roof,
shutters and doors closed
and as for the gardens

• abandoned.

More than a century later
a new owner decides
to renovate
and work begins on the house
and gardens.
Briars and weeds
are all cut back
and grass is mown.
Soon the stately home is surrounded
by gardens once more
instead of fields of hay.

Spring arrives
and with it
tiny green shoots
spear through the grass
and, to everyone’s amazement,
daffodils appear
golden and swaying
in the breeze.

But these aren’t just
ordinary, every-day daffodils –
these are daffodils of a sort
that haven’t been seen
for over century!
Deprived of light
the daffodil bulbs
had simply gone to sleep
for a hundred years
until the gentle heat
of spring sunshine
penetrated and warmed the soil
once more.
Then the daffodils bloomed
in all their glory!

And, no,
this isn’t something
out of a fairy tale –
it’s true.

I’m reminded of this
when I read today’s parable
about the sower
who seems to waste many seeds
when they fall on stony ground
or get choked-up by weeds.

As Christians
we are called
to sow seeds of faith
through the way we live our lives.
We do this in simple ways –
by passing our faith
onto our children,
by having the courage to mention
that we go to Mass on Sundays
or simply by saying
that we will pray for someone.

Sometimes we may feel
that our efforts
are a waste of time.
But who knows –
maybe the tiny seeds of faith
that we sow
may simply lie dormant
like the daffodil bulbs
and will bear fruit
some time in the future
when we least expect it?

© Claire Murray, 14th July 2020