Seeds are holy, profound, beautiful, and generous. They are fascinating when you study them.

I call them holy for many reasons, but for one I will cite the Book of Genesis in the Old Testament with an explanation of how all plant forms began:

“Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth vegetation: every kind of plant that bears seed, and every kind of fruit tree on earth that bears fruit with its seed in it"; and it was so."

God was generous. He created the smallest of things to provide mankind all of the nourishment, shelter and beauty needed. The seed is the most powerful of all his creations. It provides us with a variety of food to eat, lumber to build our homes, flowers to admire plus birds and the animals for our pleasure.  When I think of this I remember the story of the single grain which, when planted and nourished, became a single plant, with 60 seeds upon it. Those 60 seeds were planted and each multiplied 60 times. The grain grew until its surplus fed an entire village and eventually grew to the extent its plants were harvested and sold to pay for boats used to expand the economy of the town.

Jesus used the seed in his parables many times teaching his disciples about God. Perhaps the most famous is “The Parable of the Sower”. In this story, a sower dropped seed on the path, on rocky ground and among thorns, and the seed was lost; but when seed fell on good earth it grew, yielding thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold. There has been many an essay written regarding this interpretation, but the general analysis is that God is the Sower; the seeds which fall on the road represent those who hear the Word but dismiss it right then. The seeds falling on the rocks represent those who hear the Word, but do not take It seriously and reject it as soon as It causes them affliction or persecution. The seeds falling on thorns represent those who hear the Word and take it to heart, but give higher priority to worldly concerns such as money which choke it. The seeds falling on good soil represent those who hear the word and truly understand it, causing it to bear fruit.

We need to take a lesson from the means God used to propagate the plants of the world. Plants have limited ability to seek out favorable conditions for life and growth. As a result God disperses their offspring, the seed, in many ways: 1) God used the wind which can carry His specially designed seeds, like those for an orchard, for long distances; 2) God produced buoyant seeds to float on rivers to the oceans and wash up on beaches; 3) God designed seeds with barbs which attach to animal fur or bird feathers and then drop off later. 4) God designed seeds with a flesh-like covering to be eaten by birds and animals and dispersed in their droppings; 5) God designed seeds which animals and humans use for long-term storable food resources e.g. acorns and other tree nuts. These seeds are stored some distance from the parent plant, and some escape being eaten and become another plant. 6) God designed seeds which the foraging ants love and carry back to their nests. The part of the seed which is hard and inedible to the ants then germinates more plants.

The Word of God needs to be propagated like the seeds of the earth. We humans are the plant. We need to propagate our faith! Like the seeds which have an embryo, we humans also have embryos which require nourishment to survive. Our children are our responsibility. We are the ones who must give them the Word of God and provide the rich environment for its nourishment. However, unlike the seed embryo, we cannot leave their development to chance. We must not only provide instructions, but teach by example. This does not mean dropping them off for a catechism class once a week. Entire books have been written on this topic.

In addition to nourishing our children, we must sow the Word of God in many other ways; first by example! This is not only by living the Word of God and avoiding sin, but by showing outward signs you are a Christian in ways ranging from participating in church activities with others to participating in Eucharistic Adoration where you may be alone. Other, very simple methods of demonstrating your faith are prayers said in public such as Grace before meals in restaurants and at social gatherings.

Other activities include Evangelization as promoted by Pope St. John Paul ll. Again, there are many ways of doing this such as talking to friends and coworkers. One way favored by Pope St. John Paul ll is to sponsor Christian radio and television stations which need money to keep them on the air and listeners to support them.

Support good Christian publications. Write articles yourself and distribute to various publications. Write letters to the editor of the local newspapers. Post good Christian articles on Facebook.

Visit the sick and elderly in hospitals and nursing homes. Bring the Sacred Host to them if you are able.

Participate in pro-life activities such as praying and even sidewalk counseling in front of abortion facilities. You not only will be evangelizing, but saving babies as well. Participate in, and/or support, pregnancy centers to assist mothers with young children.

Volunteer at soup kitchens and other facilities to help the poor.

The list has no end. There are organizations throughout the world with needs for your support.

Plant the seeds of your faith and you will become holy, profound, beautiful, and generous.

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