In the Parable of the Sower, the seed is the word of God, and Christ is the sower. We, the hearers, are the soils on which the seed falls. All of us must examine ourselves. Is my soul hardened by sin, so I don’t hear Christ and I resemble the path with its hard soil beaten by constant travelers? Am I like the rocky ground, eager to respond but shallow so I cannot take rejection or persecution for the sake of Christ? Do I let the cares and concerns and temptations of the world choke my spiritual life? Or am I good soil in which a fruitful harvest is growing?
Clearing our life of stones and weeds is a lifetime task, but we need to work at it and seeks God’s grace to assist. Speaking through Isaiah, God stated that his word shall do his will. As stewards we are called to use our time, talent, and treasure so God’s word will “yield a fruitful harvest” in our lives, as the Responsorial Psalm puts it. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church (1724) puts it, “By the working of the Word of Christ, we slowly bear fruit in the Church to the glory of God.”