Wednesday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time
Time spent in the woods recently inspires me to think about today’s Gospel, the familiar parable of the sower, in a different way. What if rich soil can be found on the rocky ground; what if fertile soil lies among the thorns? When God’s Word is sown in our hearts and minds, we have a choice to make. We can choose to plunge our roots deeply into faith, or we can choose to be distracted. Today, I invite us to consider the ways in which our experiences among the rocks and thorns might actually prove to be life-giving.
My friend and I recently went hiking in the Red River Gorge in Kentucky. This vast forested region is a hiker’s paradise! We were enthralled by the beauty, the unique geological features, and the diversity within the ecosystem. Along the trails, we stopped numerous times to marvel at an unexpected phenomenon. Awed, we observed mature trees growing out of massive boulders. Apparently, a hardy seed found the will to live in the most impossible of situations. Out of the crack or crevice, somehow life found its opportunity. These trees overcame hardship and sub-optimal conditions voicing their testimony to the power of life. Some of these victorious ones had massive roots that wrapped stalwartly around the outside surface of the boulder upon which they stood, tall and confident. It’s a miracle, almost, that these trees found adequate fertile soil to be able thrive and even triumph.
Jesus astutely observes in his parable that we humans do not typically follow the trees’ example. When we find ourselves on rocky ground, in a difficult or challenging time of life, we tend to allow our trials to muffle God’s word and steal our joy. Similarly, Jesus says that when we’re caught in thorny thickets, we are prone to distraction by anxieties or worldly temptations. It’s easier to witness to our faith when times are good and life is a bed of roses, as the saying goes.
Whenever I’ve read this parable previously, I’ve tended to focus on the rich soil as a place utterly separate from the rocky or thorny ground. I’ve imagined it as a cultivated garden or well-plowed field. And perhaps it is. But what if we can find our fertile soil even in the midst of life’s rocks and thorns? What if instead of falling away from God when trials and tribulations come, we sink down deep roots and allow God’s Word to feed and fertilize us? What if instead of allowing anxiety and our obsession with worldly distractions to choke God’s Word, we choose to stand right there and pray, seeking more of God’s presence? Could it be that Jesus invites us today to find fertile soil in whatever condition of life we find ourselves? We don’t have to wait for our current difficulties to resolve and life to improve in order to find that better soil. Our life is in Christ. Christ offers us abundant life always, even among the rocks and thorns. Today, let us ask God for the graces we need to strengthen our roots and to anchor them deeply in God’s Word and in God’s love. As our lives grow tall and strong among the rocks and thorns, others will see and be inspired to draw closer to God themselves. Today, let us be witnesses to the victorious love of God, the love that makes us overcomers!
Elizabeth Wourms