SAINTS JOACHIM AND ANNE, PARENTS OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

The seed sown on the rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit.

When he explains the parable of the sower to his disciples, Jesus makes it clear that the quality of the seed was not lacking. It was good seed, since the word of God can be nothing less than supremely good. Furthermore, Jesus says that this seed was spread across all types of soil, even though only some soil yielded plants capable of bearing fruit. And that’s where the disparity in fruitfulness comes from—the condition of the soil. Hard, rocky, thorn-infested ground does not make for a good garden. No matter how good a seed is, it still needs well-tilled and fertile earth for it to grow.

But soil does not till itself. A barren field will remain that way unless someone comes along with a hoe and gets to work. This is the work Jesus wants to do in our hearts. Like a wise landowner, he is not afraid to get his hands dirty! Just look at the cross: his “work” that day involved blood, sweat, and tears. But through that work, he removed the greatest obstacle of all: our bondage to sin and death.

Yet Jesus’ work in us is not done. He wants to make the “soil” of our hearts rich so that we can produce “a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold” (Matthew 13:23). And so he lovingly invites us into his work of reclamation. He wants us to pick up our trowel and join him in his work of tilling.

How? Notice that those in Jesus’ parable who fell away initially heard “the word of the Kingdom,” but they did not understand it or persevere in nourishing the seed of that word (Matthew 13:19). Understanding God’s word and then acting on it are the keys to bearing fruit. Our tilling of the soil requires that we dig deep into the Scriptures. Then, as we pray and listen to the Lord, he will help us discover what his word means for our lives. But it’s not all up to us. We still need Jesus, our “Good Farmer,” to water and fertilize the soil of our hearts with his grace so we can do whatever he asks of us.

Our God is so faithful. Let’s trust him to bring about an abundant harvest!

“Jesus, thank you for the work you are doing in me so that I can bear fruit for your kingdom.”

Jeremiah 3:14-17
(Psalm) Jeremiah 31:10-13
Matthew 13:18-23