Christ's parable asks:
What's the condition of your soul?

July 24 , 2002

Most Reverend José H. Gomez
Auxiliary Bishop of Denver

"On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd stood along the shore. And he spoke to them at length in parables."

Jesus was teaching about the kingdom of God and he did it through a parable.

Even the Apostles were curious about the reason for using parables and asked why. Jesus explained, "Because they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand."

Jesus' parable of the sower and the seed reaches us in modern urban society just as it did his followers over 2,000 years ago. As we suffer through this summer of drought -- whether in a small way through a lack of water for our garden, or in a more serious way, fearing for our own home or those of family and friends, or for the safety of firefighters -- we can easily comprehend this parable.

We grasp the importance of seed falling into good ground to bear fruit. We see rocky ground, thorns and the lack of receptivity of people listening to Jesus. The parable is a great way to teach the mysteries of the kingdom of God in a simple manner. The seed is God's word; Christ is the sower. Knowing that we understand the need for the seed to fall on good soil. Everything depends on our receptivity and response to God's word. The seed of God's word and his love for us must fall on rich soil to be nourished. The fact is that most of the time it doesn't.

Jesus gives a clear explanation of the types of ground that are not good. We have to ask ourselves if the soil of our soul resembles one or the other.

First: "The seed sown on the path is the one who hears the word of the kingdom without understanding it, and the evil one comes and steals away what was sown in his heart."

In "Conversation with God" by Francis Fernandez, the author writes: "The path is soil that has been walked on until it has become hard. ... It is like empty souls, prepared to accept only external things. Such souls are incapable of recollecting their thoughts and guarding their senses."

Describing rocky ground, Jesus says: "The seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word and receives it at once with joy. But he has no root and lasts only for a time. When some tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, he immediately falls away."

Fernandez writes: "The stony - "rocky ground" -- represents superficial souls with little inner depth, souls that are inconstant and incapable of persevering. They have good dispositions; they even receive grace with joy, but when the moment comes to confront difficulties they turn back. They are not capable of sacrificing themselves in order to fulfill the resolutions they have made so their resolutions die without bearing fruit."

Thirdly, Jesus address thorny ground, saying, "The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word, but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word and it bears no fruit."

Fernandez likens "love of riches, a disordered ambition to gain influence or power, and excessive concern for well-being and a comfortable way of life" to "sharp thorns that prevent any union with God."

We can see how important it is for the soil to be ready for God's word. The preparation of the soil makes a big difference in the final results. Jesus says, "The seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred- or sixty- or thirty-fold."

In the words of St. John Chrysostom: "We can see that the difference depends on the person receiving it, for even where the soil is good there is a great deal of difference between one patch of ground and another. You can see that neither the farmer nor the seed is at fault, but the soil on which the sowing was done. This is not a result of nature, but of the disposition of the will."

The rich soil that we tend and nurture to receive God's word and love must be fortified and cared for through great effort. Each day we must tend to our garden, deepening our knowledge and love of God through our prayer life and our participation in the sacraments.

Let us be sincere in acknowledging the situation of our soul. Let us accept that sometimes we do not receive God's word with the right disposition, or at least that we can do better in preparing our soul for the grace of God to be more effective in our souls. What is the condition of our soul: a hard path, rocky ground, thorns or rich soil?

Listen to God through the Scriptures, preaching, the Mass, spiritual reading and the teachings of the Church. Keep in mind Jesus' words "blessed are your eyes because they see and your ears because they hear" and seek to listen more attentively.

May the Blessed Virgin Mary, who knew how to listen, help us to listen and be receptive to God's word, and to bear fruit in our lives a hundred- or sixty- or thirty-fold.