The Bountiful Seed

"Jesus spoke in parables at length: 'A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and birds came up and ate it. Some fell on the 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 the thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it. But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.'

' The seed sown on the path is the one who hears the word of the kingdom without understanding it, and the evil one comes and steals away what was sown in his heart. The seed sown on the rocky ground is the one who hears the word and receives it at once for joy. But he has no root and lasts only for a time. When some tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, he immediately falls away. The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word, but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word and it bears no fruit. But the seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundredfold or sixtyfold or thirtyfold.' ". ---[Matthew 13: 1-23.]

My great-grandmother on the maternal side came to the New World through Ellis Island. They had two sons and a daughter. That daughter was my grandmother.

Then, tragically, my great- grandfather died at a young age. The sons became the bread winners, who went to work to support the family. My grandmother had to quit school in 8th grade, to stay home to help her mother.

The family struggled. My grandmother was married at home, wearing her brown Sunday dress, and carrying a bouquet of goldenrod picked from her yard. Her brothers gave her away, to her groom.

My grandparents had a daughter, born during the Depression. That daughter was my mother.

My great- grandmother, "Ma", had come to live with my grandparents after they married. Ma read the Bible every day; she began with Genesis. When she ended with Revelation, then she started all over again with Genesis.

As a young girl, my mother would tell her daily troubles to Ma. Every day, Ma would tell her things like, "Have faith." Ma was someone whose seeds were sown on rich soil. She reaped a harvest of peace and faith, amidst a life of sorrow and trial.

And yet, my mother was like the one whose seed is sown among thorns. When my parents married, their goal in life was to make an earthly fortune. The object of their worship was "The Almighty Dollar." Sadly, this pursuit became more vital to my mother than sowing her seeds of faith. She HAD received those seeds from her own grandmother, but, "out of worldly anxiety and the lure of riches",  the seeds of Faith became choked in weeds and bore no fruit.

My father was raised by a Catholic woman. Her every act was one of love and generosity to others. She knitted for the orphanage, so that every child would have a gift at Christmas. She brought food to villagers who were starving. She read the Word and attended church each Sunday.

But my father was like the one who whose seed is sown on the path. He heard the Word from his own mother, but he did not understand it. Once, when I was an adult and a relative on my husband's side had died, my father said to me, 'At least you have your Faith'. But his eyes were empty and I could tell that this phrase had no meaning to him.

And so the Evil One came and stole away what was sown in his heart. Over the years, my father became cold, heartless, angry and abusive.  He had received the seeds, but not understanding them, he lost them to "the thief who comes in the night to steal and kill and destroy."--- [John 10:10].

Out of my parents marriage came-- Me. You would hardly think that out of such a Faith-less marriage, that I could ever reap a harvest of Faith. And yet, I did.

It was a struggle to have Faith and yet, to be raised by parents who saw only money, and not God. I felt like a fish out of water.

I used to agonize over WHY my parents had rejected God so resoundingly? I wanted to turn the clock back, and let them listen to the Word that they had received, all over again. Maybe, if given another chance, they would choose differently.

As an adult, I used to visit my pastor and endlessly "confess" my parents' sins, as if I could somehow seek Reconciliation FOR them.  The pastor told me with a sad look, "It does not work that way."

After they had both died, I used to be haunted about where they were, and about how merciful God was to them. But, as a child, I would never-- could never-- be responsible for their Souls.

You see, God generously sows His Word, His seeds. We need to do the work to understand the Word, or the seed will be stolen out of our hearts by the Evil one. We need to ensure that "worldly anxiety and the lure of riches" do not choke out the seed, like destructive weeds. We need to make our Faith deep and sustaining, so that when tribulations come, our Faith is still firmly rooted there.

I watched my parents struggle and flail with their Faith gardens. Somehow, I knew that their way was not "The Way."

And so, I have sown and nurtured my own Faith Seeds, in rich soil. I have received a Bountiful Seed. I work hard to study the Word, to understand it, to make God's Word a deep and lasting root within myself.

My Faith flourishes and blossoms throughout all seasons. I am reaping my Faith- fruit, manyfold.


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