The parable of the sower and seed is an image of the kingdom of God/abundant life:
Christ is the sower and the seed is his gospel/word of God, images of growth and
fruitfulness. The landscape of Palestine is not plain as in Montana. The farming land
would include, good ground, rocky and hilly areas; practice of throwing the seeds
across the land would end up some seeds falling on road sides or rocky ground. The
nature of both good ground and the seed is openness. Farmers know, earth that is
turned over is essential for water to remain in the ground. The ground is then open to
receive the seed; the seed contains a promise of breaking open, growing and bearing
fruit. The human heart is like a garden; it must be opened up for word of God to grow,
love of God to take root.
Word of God does not grow in hearts that are hardened by oppressive fears, persisting
conflicts, hostility etc. Turn over such unproductive ground in the heart and be open to
Christ and his gospel, to understanding, discernment, to commitment to love and serve
and grow healthy relationships. Like the sower who scatters the seed, God reaches out
to all with his presence and grace, the good and the bad, the believer and non-believer
alike! God’s grace keeps trying to enter human hearts, to make life fruitful in love. Our
spiritual program is to turn over the ground of the heart and nurturing it by learning and
reflecting God’s word, then allow its promises to take root in us by prayer/meditation,
sacraments; this process is like rain that enriches the ground for seeds to grow!
Like the rocky ground, often we are indifferent to word of God or resist grace of fruitful
growth. The hidden power in the seed/word of God is love that longs to germinate in
the inner center of life as peace/joy and charity toward all. When Poet Henry
Wadsworth was well advanced in age, he was still a vigorous man. Someone asked
him why this was so! The poet pointed to an apple tree in bloom and said, ‘that tree is
very old, but I never saw prettier blossoms on it than it now bears. That tree grows new
wood/branch each year. Like that apple tree I try to grow a little new wood/branch each
year’! Jesus said, I am the vine and you are the branches, if you remain in me, you the
branches grow healthy and bear fruits of the kingdom-love, justice, peace and joy.
Jesus calls us to a spring time of growth in our spiritual life and in all our relationships.
Sr. Joyce R explains how this turning over the ground of heart for God works: ‘the gray
moods, the frozen love, the sorrow and grief, the overwhelming angst, the dread and
depression, all this slowly slips away in trust and enthusiasm rejuvenates the wintered
spirit. Inner freedom is discovered, confidence and clear thinking return’. The good
ground has a certain trust that the seed that fall in it would grow and bear fruit. there is
that mutuality/intimacy between ground and the seed [Christ+us]. Christ is inviting us
to surrender the ground of our hearts to be turned over that the gospel may grow in us;
life then would be a to be [process of transformation] or being in Christ and we can say,
I turned over the frozen ground in life and Christ is in me, transforming my life into a
living gospel!