“But some seed fell on rich soil”
The last description Jesus gives is obviously the soil we all hope to be.
What does it mean to have “good soil”? The three cardinal virtues, Faith, Hope and Charity are at the foundation of what God wants from us. If we are generous with God, especially in these three key areas, the more fruit we will bear and the better fruit that fruit will be. The best fruit comes from the best soil. Some food and drink and even items like cigars can only be grown in a certain type of soil. This soil is good and necessary the items grown in the soil cannot be replicated in any other soil. Only the soul planted in the rich soil of Christ can reach perfection. The soil of Christ cannot be replicated.
The best fruit takes time and energy. If we want to have faith like the Saints, it will take time and that time starts now. It took every moment of their lives to achieve such holiness, so we too must be patient and diligent if we want to bear the same good fruit. It has been said that the reason why the Church is full of old people praying is because it took them that long to figure it out. We don’t want to wait that long. We strive to become Saints now and can share in the attitude of Saint John Berchmans who said, “If I do not become a saint when I am young, I shall never become one.” [1] Our bodily resurrection will be the ultimate fruit. Saint Paul tells us that Jesus Christ is the first fruit. Let us then imitate this first fruit so that we might share in His glory. “But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead came also through a human being. For just as in Adam all die, so too in Christ shall all be brought to life, but each on in proper order: Christ the firstfruits; then, at his coming, those who belong to Christ [2] Do we belong to Christ? This is an important question for each of us to ask ourselves each day. The seed planted in the soil of Christ will rise in the bodily resurrection, the seed planted in sin will not rise but rather decay and fall.
The psalmist says “Awake, my soul”. Let us bury our soul in Christ so that once hidden in Christ, our soul will rise. Let us ask the intercession of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati who said, “The higher we go, the better we shall hear the voice of Christ.” We can pray, “Heavenly Father, Give me the courage to strive for the highest goals, to flee every temptation to be mediocre. Enable me to aspire to greatness, as Pier Giorgio did, and to open my heart with joy to Your call of holiness. Free me from the fear of failure. I want to be, Lord, firmly and forever united to You. Grant me the graces I ask You through Pier Giorgio’s intercession, by the merits of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.” [3] Peir Giorgio’s motto is “verso I’alto” which means, “to the top.” May our soul awake and may we “climb the mountain of the Lord.” [4]
Can I change from one soil to the other? Absolutely! In our journey of life there will be feast and famine. There will be times we can see ourselves in each of these three scenarios. However, the main point to see is that the seed fell on four types of terrain or soil. God’s love and grace falls on each of us, “for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.” [5] God’s mercy and the free will that He has given, allow us to change soils and see the Grace of God grow within us. “There is no soil that is too impervious or too uncultivated for him, so long as it is prepared to change and to respond to him.” [6]
Is our goal just to be good soil? Likewise, if we all are found to be good soil, there can be variant degrees of fruit that comes from each ground. How does one bring about a hundredfold, another sixty fold and another thirty fold if the seeds are all the same? St. John Chrysostom explains it best when he said, “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. We can see that neither the farmer [God] nor the seed [His grace] is at fault, but the soil [us] on which the sowing was done. This is not a result of nature, but of disposition of the will. [7] We must be willing and strive to produce the most and the best for God. We should strive not to be just good soil, but the best soil! It is not good enough to say, “I am a Christian or I am in the Church.” If we just want to be in the right place to play it safe, we will probably only produce thirty fold. If our goal is holiness and to please God, giving Him honor and glory through the Grace of God we will produce sixty or a hundredfold. It also can be very easy to settle for less if we say, “Well at least, I am not bad soil” or “At least I am not producing thirty fold.” We strive for the best soil and the best production in that soil.
Neither our friends, teachers, bosses, parents, nor do we ourselves determine what is “good.” If we allow “good” to be determined by anyone other than God, the good will truly not be good enough. Jesus stresses that goodness resides in God when he asked the rich young ruler, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone.” [8] Our good is never good enough. When “our good” is not good enough, then we realize that we must strive for God, who is good, and the standard of goodness. Only God’s good is good enough. Our good might not even get us to be good soil. If we strive for God’s good always and never settle for anything less, we will not only be good soil but will produce hundredfold.
How can I be good soil? We have to be open to God’s grace at all time. If our openness to God’s grace and faith in Him is only the size of a Dixie cup, then that is all He will put in us because that is all we can handle. If we have the size of a double Big Gulp, then we can obtain more graces and have a much deeper faith in God. Jesus made this point to Saint Faustina when He said, “I desire that these souls distinguish themselves by boundless trust in My mercy. I myself will attend to the sanctification of such souls. I will provide them with everything they will need to attain sanctity. The graces of My mercy are drawn by means of one vessel only – and that is – trust. The more a soul trusts, the more it will receive. Souls that trust boundlessly are a great comfort to Me, because I pour all the treasures of My graces into them. I rejoice that they ask for much, because it is my desire to give much, very much. On the other hand, I am sad when souls ask for little, when they narrow their hearts.” [9]
When a farmer is getting ready to plant any seeds, they make sure to remove anything in the soil that does not belong. Are we trying to get rid of anything that is not good for our soil? Are we watering the soil by our tears in the Sacrament of Reconciliation to help keep our soil fresh? To be the best soil are we constantly striving to be the best and suitable soil for our Lord? Do we take time everyday to make our soil deeper and richer by prayer and study of our faith? Are we generous with our fruit that God has born within us to others? We can be good soil by not just being okay with receiving the Word of God, but by wanting to devour the seed. “When I found your words, I devoured them; they became my joy and the happiness of my heart, because I bore your name, O Lord, God of hosts.” [10] Only through the openness of seeking and devouring the word of God will we have joy and happiness in our hearts, it is then that our heart will be like the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This heart which is meek, humble and one with Jesus is in sharp contrast to what Jesus describes in the Gospel “gross is the heart of this people, they will hardly hear with their ears, they have closed their eyes.” [11]
“We can never be content with what we are doing to serve our God, just as an artist is never satisfied with the painting or statue he is working on. Everyone tells him how marvelous it is, but he thinks: ‘No. It isn’t quite right. I wanted it to be better.’ This is how we should feel. Moreover, the Lord has given us so much. He has a right to the very best from us - and we must go at his pace.” [12] Let us not fall behind in bearing His good fruit.
[1] Source: QuoteCatholic.com
[2] 1 Corinthians 15:20-23
[3] FrassatiUSA
[4] Cf. Psalm 24:3
[5] Matthew 5:45
[6] In Conversation with God 4, 19.3
[7] St. John Chrysostom, loc cit
[8] Luke 18:19
[9] Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska; Diary: Divine Mercy in My Soul; page 1578
[10] Jeremiah 15:16 (Reading; Monday, Morning Prayer, Week II; Liturgy of the Hours)
[11] Matthew 13:15
[12] J. Escriva, The Forge, 385