32. Is my heart, like the land of a garden?

IN MY HEART, IS THERE GOOD EARTH?

Imagine a farmer who has a field he owns. He wants to have a good harvest, then, he prepares the earth by turning it over. One morning, early in the morning: – Let’s go, he says, now is the time to sow. He walks up and down the field, from one end to the other. With a large gesture, he throws large handfuls of his good seed. The field has no fence so some seeds are falling by the wayside… Quickly birds rush on them and peck them. And now those good seeds have disappeared, they are lost! More seeds fall among the stones. They germinate very quickly but there is not enough soil, the little shoots do not have many roots, they are thin fragile. And when the sun comes out, they dry up. They are lost too! More seeds fall among the brambles that border the field. These brambles have a lot of thorns and leaves. The small plants are quickly suffocated and disappear. Lost again! More seeds fall into the well prepared earth, good soil without stones, without brambles. Small plants germinate and grow. The roots sink into the ground, they find moisture and the stems develop, grow, they turn very green, long and strong. An ear is formed which also develops. – These ears are magnificent, says the farmer one day, they are beginning to take a beautiful golden color He examines them carefully: – Oh! In this ear there are 30 grains, in this one 60, and in this one, better still 100 grains: – It will be a really good harvest! he says joyfully.

1, 2 3, 4 AND YOU AND ME! We will answer the question right away. What is a good land for Jesus? A good soil! It is a land that will allow the seed to grow develop and bear much fruit. It represents the heart of the person who loves hearing and reading the Gospel, who believes in Jesus and wants to do what, is pleasing to him, to obey him. He bears good fruit by doing what is right. The grains pecked by the birds… they represent all the words which are heard but which a moment later are forgotten, gone. Nothing is left. The stony ground is the heart of one who is happy to hear the beautiful stories of Jesus but who finds it hard to obey. When there are hard times he stops to believe, become discouraged. It has no roots. As for the thorns, do you know what they represent? They represent worries, concerns, desires that we may have and which take up so much space, that they suffocate the heart and make people forget the good words of Jesus. I suggest that you reflect on this parable, you will gradually understand it better. And when you walk in a wheat field for example, take the opportunity to examine the ears, grains, you can also question the farmer.

4, 3, 2, 1 AND WE PARENTS! We often repeat the same things to our children and it tires us out. Pity, but we have to admit that they are not always willing to listen. Yet we persevere for their good, knowing that what we sow we will harvest. Regarding the spiritual life, it is the same. We want to sow good things in the hearts of our children. Isn’t it the most beautiful of all gardens? Very quickly, friends, the media and many more people will come to deposit all kinds of seeds in them: good seeds but also bad seeds. So, from an early age, let us regularly deposit in their hearts the good seed of the Word of God. How? By living it ourselves in the family, by talking to them about Jesus, encouraging them day after day to live it themselves, so that their faith may take root and that it bears fruit. Nature teaches us that all seeds need time to take root and grow. They also need to be watered regularly with our prayers and by the action of the Holy Spirit.