Growing Roots
“And some seed fell on rich soil and produced fruit. It came up and grew and yielded thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.” (Mark 4:8)
“And some seed fell on rich soil and produced fruit. It came up and grew and yielded thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.” (Mark 4:8)
In the kitchen where we raised our children, a sand dollar in the window said, “You give your children two things; roots and wings.” As I meditated on today’s Gospel, the parable of the sower of the seeds, this sand dollar immediately came to my mind. The stronger those roots, the greater the possibility that what grows from those roots will be able to share that strength. The same holds for sowing the seed in rich soil.
As the parable teaches us, there are many types of “soil” that we will encounter during our lifetimes. Those that are very difficult and challenging and do not allow us to grow ourselves strong enough, and those soils that are rooted in truth, love, comfort, and joy. Those soils are based on the Word of God and how he is asking you and me to live our lives. The deeper our roots, and our relationship with the Lord, the stronger we become and the better we are at sharing our love for Him with others.
As good and faithful servants, as devoted Catholics, as ones who love the Lord and his neighbor as himself, we must be the sower of the good seeds. We cannot allow those evil things to wash away the seeds; rather, we must learn to care for those seeds and others who are planting seeds. We must help them realize their full potential through a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ, one that has strong roots so that they too can shine and help others to establish their own roots.
How deep is your relationship with the Lord?
Good and gracious Lord, may the love that you have planted so deeply in my heart radiate, so that others may see and begin to plant their own seeds with you. Amen.
Deacon Mike Ryba was called to further share the love and mercy of Jesus Christ when he entered Diaconate Formation for the Diocese of Joliet, IL in 2011. In 2016 he was ordained a Permanent Deacon. Up through 2022, he worked in IT for 40 years in a variety of industries, the last 30 years in management. He has since taken on a pastoral position as Director of Parish Life at St. Timothy's in Lutz. He was born and raised in the Chicagoland area and that is where he met his wife, Lisa. They have 3 children and 6 grandchildren. He and his wife relocated, for the second time, to the Tampa area in 2018. He is an avid sports fan and although he still follows his Chicago teams, he now cheers on the teams of “ChampaBay;” especially the Lightning as that is his favorite sport to play and to watch. His favorite scripture passage is John 3:16; “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.”
