The Gospel reading today seems to speak to me in my roles as home owner/gardener and parent to my two young children, as well as to other areas of my life. The parable of the sower and the seed causes me to marvel at the abundance of fertile soil in my yard (as evidenced by the prolific weeds in the garden!). The compost and summer rain showers help, but how and why are the conditions on the ground in my yard so rich and life-giving?
I also wonder the same about my life. Do I create, till and nurture the ground to raise seeds that will produce sixty or thirtyfold? Where might I have some scorched or thorny areas, or shallow soil in my daily, routine, and “ordinary” events of this liturgical season?
How did Saints Joachim and Anne, whose feast we celebrate today, tend and create rich soil in raising their daughter Mary? May our nurturing God teach us to create rich soil for his abundance.
—Colleen Chiacchere directs Magis Catholic Teacher Corps, the post-graduate teaching service program, at Creighton University.