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Gospel: Mark 4: 1-20
On another occasion, Jesus began to teach by the sea.
A very large crowd gathered around him
so that he got into a boat on the sea and sat down.
And the whole crowd was beside the sea on land.
And he taught them at length in parables,
and in the course of his instruction he said to them,
“Hear this! A sower went out to sow.
And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path,
and the birds came and ate it up.
Other seed 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
and it produced no grain.
And some seed fell on rich soil and produced fruit.
It came up and grew and yielded thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.”
He added, “Whoever has ears to hear ought to hear.”
And when he was alone,
those present along with the Twelve
questioned him about the parables.
He answered them,
“The mystery of the Kingdom of God has been granted to you.
But to those outside everything comes in parables, so that
they may look and see but not perceive,
and hear and listen but not understand,
in order that they may not be converted and be forgiven.”
Jesus said to them, “Do you not understand this parable?
Then how will you understand any of the parables?
The sower sows the word.
These are the ones on the path where the word is sown.
As soon as they hear, Satan comes at once
and takes away the word sown in them.
And these are the ones sown on rocky ground who,
when they hear the word, receive it at once with joy.
But they have no roots; they last only for a time.
Then when tribulation or persecution comes because of the word,
they quickly fall away.
Those sown among thorns are another sort.
They are the people who hear the word,
but worldly anxiety, the lure of riches,
and the craving for other things intrude and choke the word,
and it bears no fruit.
But those sown on rich soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it
and bear fruit thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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There are different ways of receiving the Word of God. The fruit it bears depends upon a person’s heart.
Some hear it without understanding. Others receive the Word with joy, but their faith lacks any root. Once a trial comes their way, belief is the first thing to go.
Still others receive the Word, but when left to choose, they prefer the things of this world to the things that are eternal.
Finally, there are those whose hearts are like rich, fertile soil. They hear the Word of God and are permanently changed by it.
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But consider the effort it takes to make soil fertile – and by extension, to make a human heart deeply receptive to the Word of God.
In order to make soil fertile, you must dig into it; break it; and repeatedly separate it. That period of chaos is what opens up the ground, allowing it to receive seeds, and ultimately, to give life.
Any sturdy plant was once a tiny seed placed inside broken, fertile soil.
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So, what does that mean for us?
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Our hearts are most fertile after being broken.
Think of any stressful, frustrating, or traumatic experience in life. In those moments, it feels like we’ve been tossed about – broken inside – much like rich, fertile soil.
They are blessed, Jesus says, who turn to him in that hour. That’s when the Word of God has the greatest chance of taking root, changing us, strengthening us, and enabling us to bear good fruit.
As Saint Paul says, “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” These gifts come from within; they are often the fruit of a heart that’s been broken and healed by the Lord.
May Jesus take any fertility within us, bless it with his Word, and allow it to bear good fruit – thirty, sixty, even a hundredfold.
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Image credits: (1) How Stuff Works (2) iStock (3) RISE Church