Be Rich Soil

Be rich soil. This should be the goal of every Catholic. We want to be those who receive the word of God, allow it to take root in us, and then go forth sharing that word and producing much fruit. This is the measure by which our life will be measured. It will not matter how many cars we have acquired, how many vacations we take, how many houses we own, or how big our bank account is. What will matter is whether or not we receive the word of God and allow it to transform us.

Gospel - Matthew 13:1-9

On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea.

Such large crowds gathered around him

that he got into a boat and sat down,

and the whole crowd stood along the shore.

And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying:

“A sower went out to sow.

And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path,

and birds came and ate it up.

Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil.

It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep,

and when the sun rose it was scorched,

and it withered for lack of roots.

Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it.

But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit,

a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.

Whoever has ears ought to hear.”

Scriptural Analysis

Indeed, the parable would not be unfamiliar to a reader of Matthew’s Gospel through the first twelve chapters. Jesus has already used this teaching technique a few times. In Chapter 13, however, Matthew presents us with a series of eight parables. This follows on the heels of chapters 11 and 12 of Matthew’s Gospel, where we saw a stark division between those who accept Jesus’ teachings and those who do not. This division will unfold in these parables as they continue to explore this theme.

Matthew opens the chapter with the phrase, “on that day.” This is intended to link these parables with his confrontation with the Pharisees in the previous chapter, further emphasizing the connection between these chapters. Jesus presents these parables on the same day that he confronted the Pharisees. He was likely staying at Peter’s house in Capernaum, where he had taken up residence. He assumed the posture of a rabbi preparing to teach, sitting down in a boat on the shore of the Sea of Galilee so that the crowds could see and hear him.

Matthew notes the change in how Jesus addresses the crowds, specifically mentioning that, “he spoke to them at length in parables.” He had used parables before, but Matthew never called them out. This is the first time He will address the crowds with multiple successive parables. Although not captured in this reading, this move to using parables surprised even his disciples, who questioned him, asking why

The first parable Jesus uses is known as the parable of the sower. This parable draws upon an image that would have been very familiar to Jesus’s Jewish audience. Not only would they understand the parable from their experience in an agriculturally based economy, but also from the use of this metaphor in the Old Testament. The prophet Isaiah used this metaphor to refer to God and his word:

For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,

and return not thither but water the earth,

making it bring forth and sprout,

giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,

so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth;

it shall not return to me empty,

but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,

and prosper in the thing for which I sent it. (Isaiah 55:10-11)

In the parable of the sower, it is Jesus who his the sower and his word, the Gospel, is the seed that is sown. The different kinds of soil represent the different responses people have to the Gospel.

Some are entirely unreceptive to Christ. They hear the word and do not understand it at all. This would include the Pharisees, who have so misunderstood Jesus that they accuse him of working with the devil. This also consists of those towns that heard the Gospel yet did not repent. The bird that comes along and devours the seed is a metaphor for Satan.

Some people hear the word of God and initially respond with great enthusiasm. They express great joy when they initially hear the Gospel. However, when times get difficult, when persecution befalls them, they fall away. These people are like the seed that falls on rocky ground, which initially sprouts but later dies as it is not well-rooted.

Some hear the word, but concerns of the world, anxiety, or riches choke the word off, and it bears no fruit at all. This recalls the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus spent a significant amount of time on the topic of anxiety and fear. These people are like the seed that falls among weeds, which grow and choke it off.

Finally, we have the followers of Christ. They receive the word, understand it, and believe it. They are like the seed that falls on rich soil and bears much fruit. This image of bearing fruit is an important one, as that is the guide by which we can judge an act or teaching. Does it bear good fruit?

Daily Application

The Word of God is the most potent seed that ever existed. It has transformed lives, cultures, and entire nations. It has converted the most hardened sinners into saints. Yet for God’s word to do it, it has to find rich soil. It has to be received into the ears, mind, and heart of one who allows it to take root.

The great irony about God’s word is that it is all-powerful and powerless at the same time. It can transform the world, but only if we allow it to. Humanity has free will. We can reject God if we so desire in the same way that Satan rejected God. God does not force us to love him, to follow him, to allow his word to take root in us and produce much fruit. We must say yes to following God.

Not only that, our yes must be a consistent yes. In Saint Luke’s Gospel, he records Jesus telling his disciples, “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23) Note that St. Luke includes the word daily, emphasizing the consistency that is necessary to remain a disciple of Christ. We don’t say yes to God once and then we are golden: we suddenly become rich soil. Our ‘yes’ must be a daily ‘yes’. Otherwise, we are like the rocky ground where the seed initially blossoms only to die as the heat of life scorches it.

In his second letter to Timothy, Saint Paul addresses the endurance required. He says, “ I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7) Saint Paul is describing exactly what it means to be rich soil. It is a continual process of saying yes to the Lord. Just as real soil requires cultivation and fertilization to be fruitful, so do we if the Word of God is going to take root in us and produce fruit. Regular reception of the sacraments, especially the Eucharist and Reconciliation, is essential if the soil of our hearts is to remain rich.

Be rich soil. Nourish your heart through the sacramental life of the Church. Say yes to God daily. Then allow his word to take root in your heart so that you may produce a bountiful harvest for the Lord.