In Sunday's Gospel, Jesus presents the Parable of the Sower. The seed represents the Word of God and the different soils represent four conditions of the human heart, or four kinds of responses to the Word of God.
The first kind is like the seed on the stony path. The Word of God is never even sown, but gets plucked away by evil influences. In our strongly secular world today it is not easy for the Word to take root with so many competing enticements. The second kind is like the seed that falls on the rock. The Word of God is received with great enthusiasm; the person becomes a practicing and active Christian. But if obstacles arise, the person falls away. The third kind is like the seed that falls among the thorns and brambles. Perhaps this is a category that affects most of us. Having anxieties about many things and the lure of material goods can choke off our commitment to the Gospel. Our witness becomes compromised and we make no fruitful contribution to the Kingdom. We sit on the fence and try to have the best of both worlds. However, as Jesus says, we cannot serve God and mammon. Finally, there is the fourth kind of seed which falls on good soil. These people hear the Word, accept the Word, make it their own and it overflows into all they do and say. Much fruit comes from such persons.
Jesus is not just describing different or circumstances of life or even types of soil. He is describing our inner heart, in other words, the various conditions of the human heart. We are rarely just one type of soil. We are all four. The four soils are descriptive of how we live and relate to others and to God.
What kind of soil are we? How many times have we come to Mass but not truly taken in the words we hear? When we hear God’s words and it brings us joy, if we don’t develop roots such as attending Mass, receiving Communion regularly, and loving our neighbor, then just as the seeds that fell on rocky ground and were scorched, our faith can be shallow when faced with tribulations. When seeds are planted among thorns and are then choked by the thorns, our faith is distracted and cannot fully grow. If God’s words are received and believed, we will be like the seeds that fell on good earth and produced good fruit. For our lives to bear the “good fruit,” we must make the effort to truly listen, see and believe, and act upon what we have just received in love.
