THEODORE THE STUDITE
(759 - 826 A.D.)
The time has come for the sowing of seed - of corn and of other things. We see men going forth to work from early morning till night, taking every care to sow what is best and most productive, that the need for food may be met. And shall we, who have the seeds of the Spirit, sleep our time away and neglect to sow what we should?
Let us awake, then, and sow more zealously and more plentifully than those farmers! "For the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully" (2 Corinthians 9:6).
What do we sow? Prayer, thanksgiving, faith, hope, love…. These are the seeds of the spirit, and by them the soul is nourished.
With the natural seed the farmer can only be patient, awaiting the early and the latter rain. But we can bring down rain and dew -- our weeping and contrition -- whenever we want and as much as we want. Since this is within our choice, I beseech you, brothers and sisters, let us also sow much and water much, and let us increase the fruits of faith and love…so that there may be a spiritual harvest… and that we may fill our hands and our laps with sheaves, and may cry aloud: "The blessing of the Lord is upon us. We have blessed you in the house of the Lord…." 