Some Seed Fell on Good Soil

Today's Gospel (Mt. 13:1-23) is the famous parable of the Sower. But just because we hear it every year doesn't mean that we fully understand it. That's because Jesus was speaking to a people who lived on, worked on, ate from, and depended on the soil. The closest most of us ever get to planting, cultivating, and harvesting our own crops is going to a Farmers' Market. Or enjoying the air-conditioned luxury of Whole Foods. Not exactly the same thing.

So to fully understand the deep and rich meaning of today's Parable of the Sower, we have to think about what it means to dedicate oneself to the back-breaking labor of working on and living on the land. Fertile soil is one thing, but producing crops is quite another. And that requires a lot of time and energy.

Not that I have loads of personal experience of this myself. But my mom is a dedicated gardener. And my dad's no slouch, either. And because they cared about planting a garden, that meant we kids had to care, too. So every Spring meant roto-tilling our garden, planting seeds, watering the seeds, picking the weeds, and then ... after three months of repeating the watering and weeding stages, the Fall finally meant picking fresh asparagus, beans, peppers, tomatoes, squash and the like. And because the harvest was always bountiful, we eagerly anticipated the Fall. But because of all the work that it required, we always dreaded the Spring.

That's because Good Soil -- the kind of good soil we read about in today's Gospel -- is no accident. Good soil takes commitment, hard work, meticulous attention to detail, and lots and lots of patience.

So it is with faith. We may claim a strong faith in God -- or at least a strong enough foundation to trust in God's plan and have faith in His love for us -- but our personal faith is not the result of chance, luck, or fate. It's the result of commitment, hard work, careful concern for our well-being, and lots and lots of patience.

The truth is, we can't take all the credit for our "good soil." We have parents and friends to thank. And probably a coach, neighbor, teacher, or catechist, too. Someone who worked with us, cared for us, and helped cultivate in us an amenable spirit so that the Spirit could take root in our lives and yield fruit in what we think, say, and do in the world.

So our "good soil" isn't the end of the story. We can't just be satisfied knowing that the Seed (the Word) has taken root in our lives. We have to continue to dedicate the time and energy to cultivate the soil so that it continues to be nourished and revitalized, given life-giving water through the Sacraments and the weeds of temptation and sin rooted out.

What is more, just as we have many people to thank for cultivating our own "good soil," so we have a responsibility to cultivate and enhance the soil of our friends and family. We do this for their own good, so the Seed can take root and bear fruit. And we also do this for our own good, because a single patch of good soil is not sustainable in the desert or hostile territory. Together, our many hands, strong commitment, hard work, and patience build up the Body of Christ.

And when I say the Body of Christ, of course I'm talking about good soil. But now that you're an expert in deciphering parables, you knew that already.