Perhaps this was on my mind when I read today's gospel where Jesus tells the parable of the sower. Seed is scattered with varying results because it ends up on the path, in rocky soil, among thorns, or in good soil. As I read, I was drawn to the picture of the seed springing up but then choked by thorns. (Jesus will later explain to his disciples that the thorns are "the cares of the world and the lure of wealth.)
As a pastor who to some extent functions as CEO of a religious organization, I have my share of cares and concerns, and many of them have to do with money. And I wonder how often these tend to choke out the word. I may preach diligently about loving neighbor and helping the poor, about love and gratitude leading us to give ourselves extravagantly to God, but my own life may not show much evidence of this. Other things have my attention. I am no model of authenticity and integrity.
We live in an era of multitasking with a myriad of distractions. Our culture is of little help if we would become the saints all Christians are called to be -- certainly not if we use Kierkegaard's definition of a saint, "Someone who can will the one thing."
I wonder if traditional church looks to many as just one more thing to add to a life already filled with many other things. And I wonder what distractions I need to let go of if faith is to be not just one more thing but the one thing.
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