The Fruits From the Fields of the Heart

Prayer-Soldier

The Fruits From the Fields of the Heart

And as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and return no more thither, but soak the earth, and water it, and make it to spring, and give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be, which shall go forth from my mouth: it shall not return to me void, but it shall do whatsoever I please, and shall prosper in the things for which I sent it. (Isaiah 55:10-11)

For I reckon that the sufferings of this time are not worthy to be compared with the glory to come that shall be revealed in us. For the expectation of the creature waits for the revelation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity: not willingly, but by reason of him that made it subject, in hope. Because the creature also itself shall be delivered from the servitude of corruption, into the liberty of the glory of the children of God. For we know that every creature groans and travails in pain, even till now. And not only it, but ourselves also, who have the first fruits of the Spirit: even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption of the sons of God, the redemption of our body. (Romans 8:18-23)

The same day Jesus going out of the house, sat by the sea side. And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went up into a boat and sat: and all the multitude stood on the shore. And he spoke to them many things in parables, saying: Behold the sower went forth to sow. And while he sows some fell by the way side, and the birds of the air came and ate them up. And other some fell upon stony ground, where they had not much earth: and they sprung up immediately, because they had no deepness of earth. And when the sun was up they were scorched: and because they had not root, they withered away. And others fell among thorns: and the thorns grew up and choked them. And others fell upon good ground: and they brought forth fruit, some an hundred fold, some sixty fold, and some thirty fold. He that has ears to hear, let him hear.

And his disciples came and said to him: Why do you speak to them in parables? Who answered and said to them: Because to you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven: but to them it is not given. For he that has, to him shall be given, and he shall abound: but he that has not, from him shall be taken away that also which he has. Therefore do I speak to them in parables: because seeing they see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And the prophecy of Isaias is fulfilled in them, who said: By hearing you shall hear, and shall not understand: and seeing you shall see, and shall not perceive. For the heart of this people is grown gross, and with their ears they have been dull of hearing, and their eyes they have shut: lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.

But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear. For, amen, I say to you, many prophets and just men have desired to see the things that you see, and have not seen them: and to hear the things that you hear and have not heard them. Hear you therefore the parable of the sower. When any one hears the word of the kingdom, and understands it not, there comes the wicked one, and catches away that which was sown in his heart: this is he that received the seed by the way side. And he that received the seed upon stony ground, is he that hears the word, and immediately receives it with joy. Yet has he not root in himself, but is only for a time: and when there arises tribulation and persecution because of the word, he is presently scandalized. And he that receives the seed among thorns, is he that hears the word, and the care of this world and the deceitfulness of riches chokes up the word, and he becomes fruitless. But he that received the seed upon good ground, is he that hears the word, and understands, and bears fruit, and yields the one an hundredfold, and another sixty, and another thirty. (Matthew 13:1-23)

Reflection:

The worldly lives of the children of His creation come and go, but the cycles of the years continue. Generations bring forth their fruits and the world progresses forward in their endeavors, but true peace eludes them. With all of the talents and gifts God has given them, with all the intellect and years of human toil, they have found the means to travel beyond the earth, but they have not found the means by which to achieve world peace.

From the moment we begin to learn, we find ways by which to apply our learning. The sadness is, we do not know how to control and manage the good and evil of our learning. Too much of our nature is selfishness. It is an evil which sprouts within us is like a weed which consumes and chokes out the good fruits of the land.

Our heart is a fertile soil for love and hate. That which we allow to grow within us is what will guide us. If it is love, we shall find joy and happiness with one another. If it is hate, conflict and violence shall be the lot of our days. So the battle rages for each soul. Blessed are those who seek to learn from their Creator, their Savior, and the Spirit of all justice and righteousness, for what they learn from God shall enable them with the blessings of civility, compassion, charity, and love. Woe to those who turn from His ways, for in their wanderings within the darkness, they shall only find the pain which is fertilized by selfish desires.

If the farmer does not tend the field, what is possible from it shall wither under the weeds and what remains shall be infested with insects which attack what remains of the fruit of the land. If the farmer is to bring forth good fruit, then, work is required. All which is good is gathered. All which yields harm shall be winnowed out and burned. The lazy farmer yields nothing, but the farmer dedicated to his work shall feed many. The question for each of us is, what kind of spiritual farmer are we?

Though work and toil were left to our hands from the original sin, and though we are so easily tempted to sin, God has not abandoned us. He sent His only begotten Son so we may be forgiven our transgressions and cleansed of our iniquities. Should we struggle in understanding how to tend the fields of our heart, then, we may turn to His Holy Word and the Holy Spirit to guide us in truth. (John 14:16-17). If we are unsure of our hands or how we may produce good fruits from our labors, let us ask in prayer for the Holy Spirit to guide us.

The question before us, as well as any community of Christians, is what kind of soil do we tend? Do we leave the seeds to the rocky ground or field of thorns or do we bring them to the fertile soil where they can grow and produce bountiful and nourishing fruit for the soul? Do we leave open the fields so the evil one may steal the harvest or do we stand watch to drive the pests and plagues away?

If we are to become the farmer which tends the field of good fruit, we must first allow the seeds of His love to grow within. If we become tired, we must seek His strength. If we are distracted by pests, we must pray for His help. If we lack rain, let us pray to Him so the skies may open and the fruits of the field may grow.

It is not enough for us to tend only to the fields, for the fruits were not meant to be only consumed in the field, but in communities and homes. Let us, then, tend to bring forth good fruit and reach out to bring the fruit to market. Let us not be lazy so that all we produce is spoiled fruit, but let us seek the blessings of the Lord so that all we grow, all we gather, and all we bring forth is the good fruit of the Lord.

Questions for further reflection:

In what ways do we allow the seeds of the Holy Word of God to grow within us?

What is the good fruit we are called to yield?

In what ways may we help to tend the seeds of faith?

May the peace and blessings of the Lord be with you always,
Prayer Soldier