Tending the Garden
The Scriptures today remind us of the importance of tending the ‘Garden of our Heart’ so that the Word of God can take root and bear abundant fruit in our lives. Therefore, let us fervently ask God to root out any weeds of fear, anxiety or lack of faith in our hearts. Let us nurture the fruits of the Holy Spirit which dwell within us. When we faithfully contemplate the Word of God our ‘Heart-Garden’ will bear much fruit!
In the First Reading, the Prophet Isaiah compares God’s Word to rain and snow. “As the rain and the snow come down from the heavens and do not return without watering the earth…so the Word that goes from my mouth does not return to me empty without carrying out my will and succeeding…” What a wonderful assurance for those who firmly believe and live out the Word of God in their lives! They will bear fruit in abundance!
Today’s Gospel from Matthew narrates the familiar parable of the Sower and the different kinds of soil on which the seed falls. This story encourages us to reflect on our lives and our response to the good news of God’s loving gift. It invites each of us to ask: What kind of soil am I? Am I receptive to God’s Word? Do I nurture it regularly and carefully? Do I let it penetrate my heart, so that I become God’s co-worker in the transformation of the world?
The Sower, Jesus Himself, sows seeds with great liberality, seemingly unconcerned that some may be lost or fail to bear fruit. This is an image of a God who, in the words of the poet, Brendan Kennelly, ‘goes about his work determined to hold on to nothing’. If we open our eyes and free up our hearts, we cannot miss the presence of our generous God ‘who gives everything away’. The Gospel calls us to open our hearts to the seeds of God’s presence scattered so abundantly in our very lives and in our world.
The challenge is to pay attention to God’s Word and let it take root in the soil of our hearts. Our soil can become dry and hard through neglect or get choked with weeds. It always requires clearing and cultivation to become receptive to the seed of God’s Word. For most of us, tending the ‘Garden of our Hearts’ is a constant and demanding challenge. However, as Isaiah reminds us in today’s First Reading, we must not lose heart. God’s Word will accomplish the purpose for which it was sent!
Let us give thanks to the Lord for his invitation to us. Let us continue to cultivate the ‘Garden of our Hearts’ so that the seed of God’s Word will produce abundant fruit!