SAINT FRANCIS DE SALES, BISHOP AND DOCTOR (MEMORIAL)

A sower went out to sow. 

Even if you’re not a gardener, you probably know what good soil looks like. It’s a rich, dark color, slightly moist, and crumbly to the touch. If it’s full of rocks or thorns or if it’s mostly clay, it needs to be “reclaimed” so that whatever is planted in it can grow and bear fruit.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us that God sows his “seed”—his word—in the soil of our hearts, but not much will come of it if we aren’t ready to receive it. So what is the condition of our “soil”? In a homily on this parable, Pope Francis said it is most likely a mix of the “good” and the “not yet good.” So he urges us to search our hearts and “reclaim” the soil so that it will be ready to welcome God’s word (Angelus, July 16, 2017).

What might we find? The soil full of rocks is the “superficial heart . . . [that] welcomes the Lord, wants to pray, love, and bear witness, but does not persevere. . . . It is a heart without depth, where the rocks of laziness prevail over the good soil, where love is fickle and fleeting. But whoever welcomes the Lord only when they want to does not bear fruit.”

We might also discover some thorns. Pope Francis says these represent “the vices which come to blows with God, which choke his presence: above all these are the idols of worldly wealth, living avidly for oneself, for possessions, and for power.”

So how do we reclaim our soil? The Holy Father urges us to “look inside ourselves” to see whether “our heart is open to welcome the seed of the Word of God with faith.” Then we must courageously bring our “rocks of laziness” and our “thorns of vice” to the Lord in Confession and prayer.

So don’t be afraid to search for the rocks and thorns that have taken up room in your heart! Pope Francis assures us that Jesus, the “Good Sower,” will be more than glad to remove them. And with your heart “reclaimed,” you’ll be ready to receive the word that bears fruit for the Lord “thirty and sixty and a hundredfold” (Mark 4:20).

“Lord Jesus, you are my Master Gardener. I surrender my rocks and thorns to you. Reclaim the soil of my heart today.”

2 Samuel 7:4-17
Psalm 89:4-5, 27-30
Mark 4:1-20