For this week’s reflection, I want to focus on just one of the types of soil from the parable of the sower: the thorny soil. Jesus said, “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” (Matthew 13:22). It’s important to remember that God has chosen us, His disciples, to bear fruit. Jesus told His disciples, “It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you” (John 15:16). Just what type of fruitfulness is Jesus referring to here?
Fruitfulness
Fruitfulness can be defined as how we as Christians bear love into the world. Indeed, if Jesus is the True Vine (John 15:1), and we bear fruit by remaining in Him (John 15:4-5), then the fruit we bear comes through us from God, who is love (1 John 4:8)! A married couple’s love is made fruitful when they have children, either of their own or through adoption. We can bear the fruit of God’s love into the world through acts of love and mercy to one another. These loving acts are “fruit that will remain.”
Another way to consider fruitfulness is to consider how your outward actions are lined up with the fruits of the Holy Spirit, which are “perfections that the Holy Spirit forms in us as the first fruits of eternal glory…[they are]: ‘charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, chastity’” (CCC 1832). You could evaluate if you are growing in these virtues to consider your fruitfulness.
The Thorny Soil
So what gets in the way of our fruitfulness? That’s where the thorny soil comes in. The other types of soil also hinder fruitfulness, but today I want to focus on the thorns: worldly distractions and anxieties. Imagine those thorny weeds in the soil, stealing all the nutrients from the good seed. They soak up the water and the sun meant for the harvest wheat. Worldly distractions and anxieties crowd out our energy for good works.
Maybe your to-do list is so long that you find yourself moving from task to task mindlessly, just trying to check things off so you have a chance to rest. Perhaps you are constantly busy, but you still cannot seem to get anything accomplished? The more you do, the more new items get added to the to-do list, am I right? In this case, you could consider if you are suffering from over-busyness. Our culture is obsessed with being busy, and that alone can be a distracting thorn in our side! Being overcommitted, overworked, stressed out, and sleep deprived is all too common. How can we be fruitful if we can’t find a moment’s peace or rest?
One reason for feeling the pressure of the world is a wrong definition of fruitfulness. Many people would say that fruitfulness is about productivity, or how much you get done in a day. This is different than the definition of loving fruitfulness above. A fruitful day full of loving acts and virtuousness often doesn’t look like much got accomplished. An outside onlooker might ask what you did all day, even though you were actually very fruitful in God’s eyes. Think of the parent of a young child who needs to have his or her needs met all day long. Is the loving parent who cares for the child all day very productive, getting lots of things marked off the to-do list? Probably not! But is that parent being fruitful in God’s eyes: feeding, bathing, dressing, playing, rocking, singing, teaching, soothing, loving? Absolutely.
Another thorny culprit that steals our energy and joy is anxiety*: that state of constant worry and fear. Relationship problems, worries about money, stress at our jobs, problems with our children—all these can hinder our ability to bear good fruit. One antidote to anxiety is prayer: “Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil 4: 6-7). What is making your heart anxious? Whatever it is, allow God to enter into that place of anxiety and bring you His peace. When there is peace in your heart, there can be room for joy and fruitfulness.
A last reason for a lack of fruitfulness (specifically a lack of loving fruitful works), is the concept of self-sufficiency. Jesus reminds us that we are totally dependent on remaining close to Him in order to have a fruitful life: “Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing” (John 15:4-5). Notice that last line: “without me you can do nothing.” Whoa—nothing?! But then consider what St. Paul wrote: “I can do all things in Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). All things? Yes, all things. But only through Christ, by remaining in Him. If believe that we can be fruitful without the love of Christ, we are fooling ourselves. When we neglect our prayer life and focus only on being overly productive, we will never have enough energy left to be a loving disciple, spouse, parent, or friend. We cannot pass on the love of Christ if we do not possess it ourselves.
This week, consider putting your prayer life front and center. Make reading the Word a primary part of your time of prayer. Ask Jesus to work through you as you go about your day. Ask Him to remove the thorny weeds that are stealing your joy and fruitfulness. Ask Him to help you to love the people in your lives the way they deserve to be loved. There will still be work to be done, but you will be not be as stressful if you are doing it with love in your heart. Imagine yourself as a branch attached to Christ, the True Vine. Picture His Word being planted in the good soil of your heart. It springs to life. It is God’s love flowing through and working in you, animating your every thought, word, and action, allowing you to fruitfully bear His love to the world.
*If you are suffering from severe anxiety or stress, please seek the advice of your physician or other qualified mental health service provider. I speak from experience. Prayer is important, but if you experience anxiety and/or stress regularly, talking with a professional is equally important. May the God of all peace be with you as you bear this cross. Christ is surely there bearing it with you.