God explained his own parable, but he waited to explain its real importance in the next parable (found in the version recorded by St. Matthew, not by St. Luke): nothing but the things that grow from the pure seed of God will endure:
When confronted with a field full of tares and wheat; “In the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn. (St. Matthew 13:30)
So how do we make sure that only the good and pure seed grows in the garden of our souls?
- The role of our parents and our communities as we grew: no stones, good soil, pure and holy
- As parents, grandparents, godparents, and members of a healthy, growing parish, we must continue this process and teach our children to value and protect their purity
- But what about now? My experiment (didn’t tend my garden). Weeds stunt and kill our fruit.
- We cannot let other things grow in the rich soil of our gardens; we MUST not allow other things to stunt and kill the pure seed of God
How might this happen?
- It happens every time we put other things before loving God and loving our neighbor
- Do we come to Church on Sundays and feast days, or have we decided to nourish a weed at those times instead?
- Do we pray and read books and watch movies that benefit our hearts and the growth of God within us, or do we meditate on things that poison our soil or that nourish our weeds?
We live in a world that is full of loose spores; at some point, some are bound to find their way into the soil of our souls.
- They may even grow into plants that catch our eyes, we may find ourselves falling in love with them – or fearing to pull them out because of their thorns. We may eventually even find that we prefer them to God’s own seed.
- We may even become so deluded that we mistakenly call them “god”. Isn’t this what the person does who skips Church on Sundays and feast days because they have found a better way to serve God?
- This is so dangerous – we become the kind of gardener that cannot tell real fruit from its poisonous imitators. But God knows the difference, and poisonous weeds cannot endure the environment of the paradise which is to come. Only the true fruit of love can thrive there.
He has given you the seed – you have the ability to inherit eternal glory. It is your choice. What are you going to grow in your garden?
- Look at your habits – are they Godly?
- Are they patterned on the teachings of Christ as preserved and taught by his Church? If not, then you have planted other seeds. How stunted has your faith become? Have you allowed it to grow like the mustard seed? Or is it a tiny faith that can never bear any fruit worth having?
We must rededicate ourselves to the gardens of our hearts. We must pull weeds through repentance and confession. We must give our lives to Christ and allow him to grow within us. This is the way to the kingdom, this is the way to lasting joy now and forever.
