Below is a transcript of the homily delivered on July 12 by Deacon Anton Nikolai at St. Charles Borromeo Parish & School in Burlington:

I usually like to open my homilies with a story and then try to connect that story to the teachings of Jesus and the gospel passage for the day. But as my preaching professor used to tell us, while this story method can be effective, it doesn't work with Jesus' parables. He would tell us your story isn't going to top our Lord's story. So skip yours and get right to the point. Well, this is one of those passages, so let's jump right in. Here we hear Jesus tell us the familiar parable of the sower of seed. 

Even though this is a famous passage that we've heard many times, there are always new spiritual truths and insights to be gleaned from the richness of sacred scripture. In this parable, we hear of a sower who goes out to sow seeds and the seed falls on four different types of ground and the fate of the seed depended on where it falls. 

The seeds that fall on the path are eaten by birds. The seeds on rocky ground sprang up quickly, but fade as quickly because they have no roots. The seeds that fall on the thorns grow but are quickly choked out by thorns that surround them. 

And lastly, the seeds that fell on rich soil produced a great deal of fruit… .

After telling this parable, Jesus goes on to  give us a very thorough breakdown of its meaning. The sower represents Jesus himself, and the seeds are his word and his teachings, and the different types of soil represent our reaction to the word of Christ. Some people hear the teachings of Christ but don't really understand them. They are represented by the seeds that fell on the path and eaten by birds for those seeds never had the opportunity to take root on the ground. Some people hear the teachings of Christ and become excited but quickly their excitement fades away as they face tribulations or persecutions. They are represented by the seeds that fall on the rocky ground for those seeds can only last a short time because they can take root amidst the rocks. And some people hear the teachings of Christ and the anxieties and worries of our world and the drive for wealth and status eventually overtake those teachings.

They are represented by the seeds that fall on the thorns, which take root but are quickly choked out.

And lastly, some people hear the word of Christ, understand his teachings and hold them in their hearts.

Yes, these are the seeds that fall onto the rich soil for these seeds can take root. They can grow unimpeded and they can lead to a great harvest.

Through this parable, Jesus is asking us to reflect on our own spiritual lives and our own response to his teachings. Do we hear his word and understand it? Do we remain steadfast in our faith?

Do we let anxiety and riches turn our focus away from Christ? 

You know, these are the questions and insights that I reflected on reading this passage in the past. But this time around, I found myself reflecting on two other aspects of this parable. 

First, I think it's significant that the sower in the parable sowed the seeds everywhere on all types of ground. 

The sower doesn’t just sow seed on the rich soil. 

Now if the intent of the sower was to grow as many seeds as possible, there would be no reason to throw seed on the path, on the rocks or on thorns.

But, of course, that is not the intent of this sower. Jesus is the sower and he shares the seed of his word with all, not just his followers. If his goal was to speak only to his disciples, then he would only sow over the rich soil. Jesus came to bring the word of God to all people, to sinners, to the lost, to the least, to the noble. 

Jesus speaks his word to everyone.

And the second aspect that stood out was Jesus’ frequent mention of roots in the parable. Recall that the three types of soil that don’t produce fruits all have something in common. The seeds are not able to root deeply and flourish where they’ve fallen. 

The seeds on the path can’t take root because the birds got to them first. The seeds on the rock can't root deeply so they flourish. Only the seeds on the rich soil can take root and flourish. So in the context of this parable, I think this begs the question: Do we let the teachings of Jesus Christ take root in our lives? How deep is our faith in Him? Do the roots of our faith run deep to the core of our being?

I'm reminded of a passage from St. Paul's letters to Colossians when St. Paul says, ‘Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.’

When the roots of your faith run deep and the teachings of Christ are part of our very being and our very essence, we allow His words to dwell within us. 

And when the word of Christ dwells within us, we will produce a bountiful harvest.

As we go forth  today, we can reflect on the role that the word of Christ plays in our own lives. 

Let us remember that Christ brings his word to everyone. Let us try to be like the rich soil and allow the word of Christ to root deeply in our own hearts so we can let the word of Christ dwell within us always.