Today’s parable is familiar to many of us. Jesus spoke in parables to reveal the kingdom of God in an accessible and creative way. We are meant to sit with the parables and think deeply about their imagery, the consequences they entail, and the blessings they reveal. Today’s parable of the seed was a useful image in the Mediterranean world, where many were farmers. As we think of the seeds as seeds of faith, we must ask ourselves: Where do the seeds fall in our lives? Jesus offers three possibilities. Seeds either fall on rocks, thorns, or rich soil.

Falling on Rocks

Our lives can be filled with rocks. We receive the seeds of faith, but the joy of those seeds lasts only a while and then dies. There is no place where roots can grow. In my teenage years, I experienced this as a spiritual high, a feeling of closeness to God that only lasted as long as the feeling. After a few years, one has to conclude that living off feelings is not a sustainable way of life, especially in spiritual life.

Falling on Thorns

Our lives can also be filled with thorns. This is where the seeds of faith fall but cannot grow due to “worldly anxiety and the lure of riches.” We fall on hard times, are attracted to fame and riches, and forget our need for God. We become so allured by worldly things that we think we can manage our lives, dismissing the presence of a loving and compassionate God. Again, among the thorns, there is no place where roots can grow.

Falling on Rich Soil

We strive to be rich soil, where one “hears the word and understands it.” Our lives are fully receptive to God and to receiving the faith he desires to give us. Rich soil has the nutrients needed for life. Is our life surrounded, nurtured, and available to what makes life true, beautiful, and good? Take time to choose to get rid of the distractions that prevent us from growing in God, so that we can walk humbly with God in this life and love him in the next.

Not only is this parable a matter of where the seeds fall in your life, but also of the seed taking root. We need rich soil so the roots grow strong. Roots must go deep into the earth of our lives. This takes silence, patience, growth, and participation with creation. So too with us, we need silence in our lives, we need patience, and we need the grace to see how God works in secret ways to make us strong.  

The Kingdom of God

Remember, Jesus revealed the Kingdom in parables because he wanted us to dig deeper. Do more than just hear or see. He invites us to enter the depths of the human heart, sit with this parable, and discover Jesus in our hearts. He is the kingdom that we pray regularly in the prayer he taught us: Thy Kingdom come. Come, Lord Jesus. Let this be our final takeaway: receive the word, let it take root, and live as people of the Kingdom.