I find myself applying the parable in today’s gospel in a slightly different fashion to my own life. As an infant my parents saw to it that I was baptized. It was not just a ceremonial baptism or a welcoming into the community. It was intended by my parents to be the beginning of a life’s journey with God. They made sure that the seed was sown on good soil by teaching through example. Our family prayed the rosary daily, sometimes while sitting around the table, sometimes while doing chores in the kitchen or if taking a trip as we started down the road. We took turns leading a decade, providing an incentive when young to learn the prayers and process so we could take the lead. My parents also sent us to Catholic schools from kindergarten through college to be sure that we learned about our faith and Church teaching. They wanted to be sure that we were growing and developing in our faith and to prevent our faith from being squeezed out prematurely by rocky soil.
Of course, there were the thorny weeds of worldly pressures and goods, insufficient time for prayer, crises of one sort or another, etc that increasingly became our responsibility to handle. Through their example my parents provided us a solid foundation of trust in God. When there is a crisis in my life, I find myself relying on God to get me through. It is difficult for me to imagine how I would get through without having that faith in God’s love and support to help me survive and grow in those really tough times. It is more difficult for me to avoid the everyday thorny weeds of complacency, irritability, insecurity, self-centeredness, being judgmental, etc. These are the insidious weeds in my life that are an ongoing threat to my ability to bear fruit for God’s kingdom. God’s hand is there to comfort, support and lead me through the thorny weeds and I pray for his patience when I let go and wander on my own.