Tilling the Soil

This is the second year for our garden. We have carrots, cantaloupe, tomatoes, squash, zucchini, and bell peppers. But, it's not going very well. Many of the leaves are turning yellow, the tomato plants have only reached about 5 inches in height, and the pepper plants are about an inch high. My friend's garden, on the other hand, is AMAZING! It has so much life to it that she has a giant sunflower that almost reaches their second story roof.

I know what the problem is. I forget to water it, we're too cheap to buy more soil so that it's deep enough, and it doesn't have enough fertilizer over the course of the summer. Not to mention, it is blazing hot every day. And, quite frankly, I don't have the energy or the motivation to do much about it. So, it continues to limp along and maybe we'll get a couple of little squashes and mini-tomatoes out of it in a couple more months. But, it would be awesome if we could get more to eat from it and really enjoy all that a garden can be!

The same is true of our hearts and our relationship with God. Last Sunday's Gospel was the parable of the sower and the seeds (Matthew 13:1-23). At the time that Jesus originally told this story, the people in His audience would have known a lot about farming and working the land.

God's Word is like a seed (you can also think of this as His Revelation to all of mankind). Christ is the Sower. When a seed gets sown, it may land in various places: some on the road/sidewalk, some on the ground with a bunch of rocks in it, some in a patch of land that no one takes care of (full of weeds or thorns), and some in a beautifully cared for plot with fertilizer, water, and sunlight (everything a plant needs to grow!). If it lands in the last one, you’re in luck! You’ll end up with beautiful plants, amazing vegetables or gorgeous flowers. And, it will produce more from itself, many-fold.

The question is, what kind of ground is the seed of God’s Word going to land in, when He sows the seed in our hearts?

• Will it land on the sidewalk where the birds come and steal it away? Are we closed off from what God may be trying to tell us about Him? Do we even think God exists? Maybe we’ve been hurt by someone and don’t want anything to do with faith or the Church.
  
  
• Has it landed on rocky soil? Maybe we heard the Word and were filled with joy (SO excited!), but the sun got hot and the soil was too shallow and our excitement died out. Do we take the time each week to worship God? Or maybe we've quickly moved onto something else that catches our attention.
  
  
• Has the seed landed in good soil, but where there are lots of weeds and thorns that choke it out? Is our life too full of stuff, money, anxieties, pride, or envy to take notice of what God wants to do in our lives? Do we receive the Sacraments regularly – Christ in the Eucharist and Confession of our sins? Do we spend time alone in prayer and reading Scripture to get to know God better?

God wants our hearts to be the rich, fertile soil, open to Him and His love for us. When God works, He doesn’t do it half-heartedly, like my sad, little attempt at a garden. He goes all out in beauty, goodness, and love. That tiny little seed, if cared for and nurtured, will be multiplied a hundred or sixty or thirty-fold!