What Kind of Soil Are You?

In yesterday’s Gospel, we heard Jesus telling His disciples the parable of the sower and the seed, in which He described the types of soil that the seeds fell on, causing either their destruction or their growth. We have often heard this parable and it is a great reflection from time to time to see where we are in our spiritual life and how receptive we are to the word of God. Do we let it get eaten up before it can reach us, are we more rocky ground than soil, do we have too many thorns, or are we rich soil where the seed can flourish and bear fruit?

Letting the seed fall on the path and get eaten by birds is an indication that our hearts are hardened and so it is the devil himself who comes and snatches the word away before it can settle into our hearts. Would we rather do things our way? Are there things more important to us than heeding God’s commands? When we are more rocky ground than soil, we don’t have the foundation for a strong spiritual life and so when trials come, we fall away because we aren’t rooted in God and in trust of His love for us. Do we get angry when things don’t go our way? Are we always overly anxious and worried? When we have more thorns than soil, it means we are too caught up in the things of the world and these things overpower the word of God in our lives and choke the life of Christ out of us because we are filled with the life of the world. How do we spend our time? Are we making sure that we make time for prayer each day?

Having rich soil is something that is very difficult to accomplish here on earth all the time, although I did read a commentary by a priest once where he said that if we can recognize ourselves in the other three types of soil, then we also have rich soil. This is because we are willing to humble ourselves and let Christ’s words sink in, which means we are listening and letting Him change us. This is exactly what having rich soil means. When we listen and apply the word of God to our lives, the seed grows in us and shows itself to others, bearing fruit for everyone to enjoy.