Everyone knows this parable, right? Our Lord Jesus Christ even gives the interpretation to His disciples: the seed is the word of God, and the Sower is the Son of God. Some seed falls on the path, and is carried away by the demons. Some seed falls among the rocks, and sprouts, but ultimately withers when things get tough. Some seed falls among weeds, and sprouts, but gets choked out by the cares and concerns of life. Only the seed that falls in good soil bears fruit – and the harvest is the point, not the planting! Yet, although 3/4s of the seed fails, that which falls in good soil brings forth returns of 30, or 60, or 100 times again what was planted.
The challenge for us, then, is to prepare our hearts to be the good soil, so that what God plants in us may bear fruit to the glory of His name, and the salvation of our souls. It’s an exercise in spiritual gardening, if you will; taking the steps necessary to do all we can to achieve the best harvest possible.
To break hardened ground, the farmer uses a plow. To break our hardened hearts, we use the plow of the ascetic life: breaking the ground by prayer, and fasting, and virtuous struggle against our passions. God also helps, sending us circumstances meant to break our reliance on ourselves, on our wit and strength alone, and to break our pride, and our selfish and self-centered lives. Broken, humbled, we are one step closer to becoming good soil.
The ground is softened by our tears of repentance, and by confession of our sins and offenses; and by the giving of alms to those in need. God also helps, sending us knowledge, awareness of our sins, even as He gives us victory over many of these. He pours out His love and mercy upon us, and gives us light to behold His hand at work blessing and protecting us, softening us by His grace and love. Repentant, cleansed, we are one step closer to becoming good soil.
The ground is fertilized by our study of the word of God, by the teachings of the Fathers, and by worshipping the Lord. These nutrients, drawn from the lives of the saints before us, help the crop we should yield to be rich and strong. God also helps, blessing us with awe and joy as we find in the lives of those who have gone before us the examples of living a life close to God, walking with Him; and so we, too, are drawn to do the same. He feeds us and strengthens us by the Holy Mysteries, and especially those of His Body and Blood, so that we can bear more than we’d ever thought possible. Enriched, made wise, we have become the good soil for planting. And, being good, we are ready to receive the seed of the word of God, and to sprout and grow, and, by patient endurance, to bring forth fruit pleasing unto God, and beneficial to many for the salvation of their souls.
Brothers and sisters! God has given this opportunity to us. Let us embrace the ascetic life of the Orthodox Church. Let us fast, and pray, and struggle towards the virtues. Let us weep in repentance, and give alms to others. Let us feed ourselves with the Holy Scriptures, and the teachings of the Church, and the lives of the saints, and the most holy Mysteries of the Body and Blood of Christ. Let us do all this, that we, too, may be good soil for God, and bear fruit for Him, to the glory of His name, and the salvation of our souls.
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