What Kind of Soil Am I Becoming?

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Jesus tells one of His simplest parables today: a sower goes out to sow seed. Some falls on the path, some on rock, some among thorns, and some on good soil. The interesting thing is that the seed is the same in every place. The sower is generous. He keeps scattering. The problem is not the seed. The question is what happens when the seed lands. And that gives us a simple theme for today: the Word of God is powerful, but it still needs a heart willing to receive it.

Sometimes we hear this Gospel and immediately start trying to figure out which kind of soil we are. But maybe the more important question is not, “What kind of soil am I?” but, “What kind of soil am I becoming?” Because our hearts change. There are days when we are open to God, and there are days when His Word barely gets through. Sometimes our hearts become hard because of disappointment. Sometimes our faith stays shallow because we want the comfort of God without the cost of discipleship. And sometimes, as Jesus says, the Word is choked by the “anxieties and riches and pleasures of life.” That one may be the most dangerous, because nothing looks obviously wrong. We are just busy. Distracted. Full. And somehow there is no room left for God.

Think about how easily that happens. We can hear the Gospel every week and still not really hear it. We can receive Communion and already be thinking about what we have to do after Mass. We can pray while checking the time. We can know what Jesus is asking of us and keep saying, “Maybe later.” The problem is not that God has stopped speaking. Maybe our lives have simply become too noisy to listen. The seed is being scattered constantly – in Scripture, in prayer, through another person, even through suffering – but a seed cannot grow if it is never allowed to go deep.

And notice what Jesus says about the good soil: they receive the Word, hold it fast, and bear fruit “through perseverance.” That last word matters. Perseverance. A fruitful Christian life is not built on one emotional moment with God. It is built by choosing Him again and again. Prayer when we feel nothing. Forgiveness when it is difficult. Faithfulness when no one notices. Returning to confession after falling into the same sin. Good soil is not perfect soil. It is soil that keeps allowing God to work in it.

So maybe today we do not need to ask God for more seed. He is already generous with His Word. Maybe we need to ask Him to work on the soil. What has hardened my heart? What is keeping my faith shallow? What thorn is quietly choking my relationship with God? Because Jesus is still sowing. He has not given up on us. And perhaps holiness begins when we stop asking, “Why isn’t God doing more in my life?” and begin asking, “What in me is keeping His Word from going deeper?”

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You continue to sow Your Word into my life. Soften what has become hard in me, deepen what has remained shallow, and remove whatever is choking my love for You. Give me a heart that listens, receives, and perseveres, so that Your Word may truly bear fruit in my life. Amen.

– Homily by Rev. Fr. Patrick Agbeko