Growing with God

It is well known to those who grow things, whether in a window-box or in a field, that we need to nourish the soil in order that the plants flourish.  And so, we sprinkle our small potted plant with liquid feed, we replenish the soil in our window-box and we fertilize our fields.  In ancient China, every vestige of household waste was carried out to garden-sized fields that climbed up the hillsides.   The people felt that what was taken out needed to be returned because the earth could not produce good crops unless it had sufficient depth and fertility. In other words, however good the quality or abundant the quantity of seed, a rich harvest cannot be achieved without good soil in which to sow it.
 
       This weekend’s Gospel invites us to search our hearts in silence and reflect on the different sorts of soil
we might find there.  Perhaps there are several important questions we might ask ourselves that might be helpful in doing this.  Can we celebrate the gifts we have been given?  Do we recognize the good aspects of our lives?  Do we rejoice in our family and in other relationships?  Are we truly grateful, and do we thank God?  Perhaps poor soil might be found in some of these areas of our lives?  
 
       The thorns which choke the good plants may be present in feelings of bitterness or anger.  Do we know why we feel these emotions?  What aspects of our lives are being choked out - family, other relationships, love, prayer?  What choices do we want to make?  Which roots need nourishment?  How might we try to nourish them this week - perhaps by going out of our way for someone we love, or maybe by confronting difficult situations?  God’s Word promises that we will never be alone and can approach all situations with hope!  
 
       No matter what the situation, we have to struggle to believe.  Nevertheless, God’s Word has an immense and mysterious power to change us.  The hard thorny patch that our lives may be currently experiencing, could be Christ’s way of calling us to a deeper union with him!  Experience tells us that we must work for anything that is worth having.  Reaping the rich harvest of God’s goodness depends on our openness to receive his Word.  So often, when God is sowing the seed of his love around us we can be cold and maybe too proud to allow ourselves to be won over.  However, there is good soil in every human heart and given time and effort and a degree of pain, the Spirit of the living God will put down deep roots in our lives, assuring us of salvation!  It might take us a lifetime, but if we allow the seed to struggle to grow in us, we will grow too!