The Parable of the Sower, talking about the fourth soil says the following: “And other fell into the good soil and began yielding fruit, growing up and increasing, and one bearing thirtyfold, and one sixty, and one a hundred.” (Mk 4:8) “And these are those having been sown upon the good soil, such as hear the word and receive it, and bring forth fruit: one thirtyfold, and one sixty, and one a hundred.” (Mk 4:20) See also Mt 13:8, Mt 13:23, Lk 8:8 and Lk 8:15: “the good soil”. It is important to notice that the Good Soil is the only one who bears fruits.

The Definite Article: “The Good Soil” (Mark 4:8, 4:20) The following is a crucial grammatical point: Jesus does not say “some good soil” but “the good soil” (τὴν γῆν τὴν καλὴν, tēn gēn tēn kalēn). This suggests: 1- Not just any general “good disposition” but a specific reality of receptivity. 2- The perfect fulfilment of this “good soil” would be in one unique person, not simply a general category of “believers.” 3- This strengthens the case for identifying the Virgin Mary as the definitive “Good Soil” par excellence.

Everything in this parable seems to direct us toward understanding the expression “the good soil” as a person, and the person being Mary. The images of Mary being an immaculate soil, receiving the Divine Seed, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity is easily deduced from many texts, especially the Annunciation itself. (Luke 1:26ss). Has any of the Fathers of the Church said the same?

The Fathers of the Church and “the Good Soil” as the Virgin Mary?

Some Fathers and later commentators made this connection, particularly in the Marian tradition of the Middle Ages. However, among the early Church Fathers, explicit identification of “the good soil” with Mary is less common.

Indirect Marian Readings in Early Fathers

St. Ephrem the Syrian (c. 306–373): In his hymns, he often describes Mary as the “Good Earth” who received the divine seed of the Word, paralleling the parable. St. Ambrose (c. 340–397): In his writings, he frequently describes Mary as the “earth” from which Christ, the grain of wheat, sprang (cf. Expositio in Lucam 2:26). St. Augustine (354–430): While he does not explicitly call Mary “the good soil,” his Marian theology strongly supports the idea that she is the most perfect recipient of the Word. St. John Damascene (c. 675–749) describes the Virgin Mary as “good soil,” drawing on the biblical imagery of the Parable of the Sower (cf. Matthew 13:8, 23). He presents her as the fertile ground that received the divine seed of the Word and bore fruit abundantly. In one of his homilies, he writes: “Rejoice, you that are full of grace, the Lord is with you! You are the paradise of the second Adam, the soil that bore the ear of wheat that never withers.” This reflects his view that Mary, as the immaculate and receptive ground, was prepared by God to bring forth Christ, the “fruit of life.”

Saint Theodore the Studite (759-826), Monk in Constantinople

“Finally, the grain has fallen into good soil”

“It seems to me that it is to Mary that the blessed prophet Joel addresses his words when he exclaims: ‘Do not be afraid, O earth, sing and rejoice, for the Lord has done great things in you’ (Joel 2:21). For Mary is a land: this land on which the man of God, Moses, was commanded to remove his sandals (Exodus 3:5), symbolising the Law, which grace will come to replace. She is also the land on which, by the Holy Spirit, He who ‘established the earth on its foundations’ (Psalm 103:5) has made His dwelling. It is a land which, without having been sown, brings forth the fruit that provides food to all living beings (Psalm 135:25). A land on which the thorn of sin has not grown: on the contrary, it brought forth the One who uprooted it from its very roots. A land, finally, not cursed like the first one, with its harvests filled with thorns and thistles (Genesis 3:18), but on which the blessing of the Lord rests, and which bears within itself a ‘blessed fruit,’ as the sacred word says (Luke 1:42)… Rejoice, Mary, house of the Lord, land that God has trodden with His feet… Rejoice, paradise more blessed than the garden of Eden, where every virtue has germinated and the Tree of Life has grown.” (Homily 2 for the Nativity of Mary, 4, 7; PG 96, 683s)

Explicit Marian Identification in Medieval and Later Tradition

Rupert of Deutz (12th century): He explicitly identifies the good soil as Mary, the only one who fully received and bore the Word of God without any hindrance.

Cornelius a Lapide (16th century): In his Commentaria in Sacram Scripturam, he explicitly states that Mary is the perfect soil, bearing fruit “a hundredfold” through Christ Himself.

The Liturgical Evidence for a Marian Interpretation of “The Good Soil”

The liturgical tradition, particularly in the Eastern Church, has long emphasized Mary as the perfect receptacle of the Word, making her the most fitting candidate for “the good soil.”

The Latin Liturgy (Feast of the Annunciation) includes texts that refer to Mary as “terra sancta” (holy earth), reinforcing the connection between her and the good soil.

St. Germanus of Constantinople (7th century) explicitly compares Mary to the fertile land that receives the “rain” of the Word and brings forth the Fruit of salvation.

If the Church’s liturgical tradition implicitly identifies Mary as the good soil, then this interpretation has a strong foundation in Christian prayer and worship.

Maronite Liturgy

“Ma kabl el nafour” (before the Anaphora) in the Maronite liturgy on all days of the year:

“I am the Bread of Life,” says the Lord.
I have descended from the Heights to the Depths as nourishment for the world.
The Father, the Word without flesh, has sent me;
like a cultivator, Gabriel has sown me;
the womb of Mary, fertile soil, has received me;
and behold, the priests carry me in procession to the altars, Hallelujah, for the forgiveness of sins.”

In the Maronite Divine Liturgy, particularly during the Offertory, there is a beautiful reference to Mary as the “good soil”and Jesus as the “seed”, drawing from the biblical imagery of the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:8, 23). This reflects the deep theological tradition in Eastern Christianity that sees Mary as the prepared and fertile ground in which the Divine Word was sown, bringing forth the Saviour. A key passage from the Maronite Anaphora expresses this concept: “Mary is the good soil, and Christ is the wheat of life.” This phrase poetically captures the mystery of the Incarnation—Mary’s readiness and receptivity to God’s will, allowing the Word to take flesh in her. This imagery aligns with the writings of the Church Fathers, including St. John Damascene, who also spoke of Mary as the paradise of the Second Adam and the earth that bore the wheat of life.

Liturgy of the Syriac Catholic Mass

Botâr Ewangéliûn (= after the Gospel)

Between the end of the Gospel pericope and the sédro of the Introit, between the Mass of the Catechumens and that of the Faithful, the choir sings a hymn that, while recalling the feast of the day, prepares the faithful for the Eucharistic sacrifice to follow. The hymn sung on Christmas Day and on certain Sundays of the year is as follows:

“I am the Bread of Life,” says the Lord.
I have descended from the Heights to the Depths as nourishment for the world.
The Father, the Word without flesh, has sent me;
like a cultivator, Gabriel has sown me;
the womb of Mary, fertile soil, has received me;
and behold, the priests carry me in procession to the altars, Halleluiah, for the forgiveness of sins.

Glory to the Father… From eternity and unto eternity…

Behold, upon the spiritual chariot of fire and spirit
is carried in procession the Body that Our Lord took from us.
Innumerable cherubim bless him;
the seraphim praise him with their wings;
they sing to him: Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord;
the heavens are full of you and the earth of your glory, Halleluiah!
Be blessed unto eternity.

You who prepare to receive the Body and Blood
of the One who became incarnate for us, the Word of God,
cast from your mind every foreign thought.
Open the doors of your understanding to spiritual things.
Sing with the angelic hosts:
“Lift up your gates, O princes; be lifted up, O eternal gates,
that the King of Glory may enter.”
For it is he who has raised us up and placed us with him in heaven.
Behold, he is set before us, that we may receive him.
Let us glorify him with reverence, saying three times:
“Holy, Glory to you.”

Byzantine Liturgy, Akathist Hymn

The Byzantine Akathist Hymn (6th century) calls Mary the “Unploughed Field” (Αρότρεφτος Ἀγρός), meaning a soil uniquely prepared to receive the Divine Seed (Christ). This aligns with the idea that she is the good soil par excellence. “Like a fertile land, O Blessed Bride of God, you made the Ear of wheat grow that no one has cultivated and which is the salvation of the world. Make me worthy to feed on it for my salvation.” (Akathist, Canon of Preparation for Communion, Ode 1, Tone 2) “The power of the Most High then overshadowed the Virgin, so that she might conceive, and made her fruitful womb a fertile field for all those who wish to harvest salvation and sing: Alleluia. (Kontakion 3)

Coptic Liturgy

In the Coptic liturgy, especially within the context of the Coptic Orthodox Church, Mary is often depicted using agricultural imagery that echoes the idea of her as “the good soil.” While there may not be a direct mention of Mary as “the good soil” in the same way it is expressed in some other traditions, she is frequently described in a similar vein.

Here are a few examples from the Coptic liturgy where Mary is highlighted in this fertile, nurturing imagery:

  1. In the Coptic hymns during the Feast of the Nativity (especially in the “Kontakion” and “Theotokion”), Mary is often described as the “mother of the seed” or the “womb that bore the Fruit of Life”, emphasizing her role as the vessel through which Christ, the divine Word, entered into the world. These hymns connect Mary’s purity and receptivity to the biblical idea of the fertile ground that bears fruit.Example:
    “You are the garden that bore the fragrant Flower, the Virgin who bore the Savior of the world.”
  2. In the “Theotokion” of the Coptic Rite of the Divine Liturgy, Mary is referred to as the one who “bore the Fruit of Life” (referencing Christ) and is seen as the “paradise” that holds the “Tree of Life.” These images of fertile land or paradise implicitly relate her to the idea of “good soil” from which life, the Savior, grows.
  3. In some Coptic Marian prayers, particularly in the “Kiahk” (the month of the Coptic liturgical calendar dedicated to the Virgin), there are references to Mary as a “pure land” or “holy ground” where Christ was planted and took root. These references allude to her as the fertile, holy soil that bore the Savior, who would bring salvation to the world.Example:
    “O Mary, you are the garden in which Christ the King was planted, and in you, the Creator of all creation was borne.”

These expressions emphasize the role of Mary as the spiritual ground that received the divine Word and bore the fruit of salvation. While the exact phrase “good soil” may not be commonly used, the concept is certainly present in the liturgical language surrounding Mary’s role as the vessel of Christ’s incarnation.

Theological Implications of the Marian Interpretation

If “the good soil” refers primarily to Mary, then:

1. She alone fully receives the Word without resistance.

• Unlike the first three soils, where the seed is rejected or hindered, Mary receives the Word completely and perfectly, as seen in Luke 1:38: “Let it be done to me according to your word.”

2. Her fruitfulness is the greatest possible: Jesus Himself.

• The hundredfold can then be Christ Himself, the ultimate fruit of her receptivity.

3. The Church, as the extension of Mary, shares in her fruitfulness.

• The faithful, to the degree that they are spiritually conformed to Mary, participate in her perfect reception of the Wordand bear fruit in Christ.

This aligns well with the theological insight of St. Louis de Montfort, who teaches that the more one imitates Mary, the more fruitful one becomes in Christ (True Devotion to Mary, §§152–168).

Pope Francis

Blessed is she who believed (Lk 1:45)

58. In the parable of the sower, Saint Luke has left us these words of the Lord about the “good soil”: “These are the ones who when they hear the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patient endurance” (Lk 8:15). In the context of Luke’s Gospel, this mention of an honest and good heart which hears and keeps the word is an implicit portrayal of the faith of the Virgin Mary. The evangelist himself speaks of Mary’s memory, how she treasured in her heart all that she had heard and seen, so that the word could bear fruit in her life. The Mother of the Lord is the perfect icon of faith; as Saint Elizabeth would say: “Blessed is she who believed” (Lk 1:45).

In Mary, the Daughter of Zion, is fulfilled the long history of faith of the Old Testament, with its account of so many faithful women, beginning with Sarah: women who, alongside the patriarchs, were those in whom God’s promise was fulfilled and new life flowered. In the fullness of time, God’s word was spoken to Mary and she received that word into her heart, her entire being, so that in her womb it could take flesh and be born as light for humanity. Saint Justin Martyr, in his dialogue with Trypho, uses a striking expression; he tells us that Mary, receiving the message of the angel, conceived “faith and joy”.[49] In the Mother of Jesus, faith demonstrated its fruitfulness; when our own spiritual lives bear fruit we become filled with joy, which is the clearest sign of faith’s grandeur. In her own life Mary completed the pilgrimage of faith, following in the footsteps of her Son.[50] In her the faith journey of the Old Testament was thus taken up into the following of Christ, transformed by him and entering into the gaze of the incarnate Son of God.

59. We can say that in the Blessed Virgin Mary we find something I mentioned earlier, namely that the believer is completely taken up into his or her confession of faith. Because of her close bond with Jesus, Mary is strictly connected to what we believe. As Virgin and Mother, Mary offers us a clear sign of Christ’s divine sonship. The eternal origin of Christ is in the Father. He is the Son in a total and unique sense, and so he is born in time without the intervention of a man. As the Son, Jesus brings to the world a new beginning and a new light, the fullness of God’s faithful love bestowed on humanity. But Mary’s true motherhood also ensured for the Son of God an authentic human history, true flesh in which he would die on the cross and rise from the dead. Mary would accompany Jesus to the cross (cf. Jn 19:25), whence her motherhood would extend to each of his disciples (cf. Jn 19:26-27). She will also be present in the upper room after Jesus’ resurrection and ascension, joining the apostles in imploring the gift of the Spirit (cf. Acts 1:14). The movement of love between Father, Son and Spirit runs through our history, and Christ draws us to himself in order to save us (cf. Jn 12:32). At the centre of our faith is the confession of Jesus, the Son of God, born of a woman, who brings us, through the gift of the Holy Spirit, to adoption as sons and daughters (cf. Gal 4:4).

60. Let us turn in prayer to Mary, Mother of the Church and Mother of our faith.

Mother, help our faith!

Open our ears to hear God’s word and to recognize his voice and call.

Awaken in us a desire to follow in his footsteps, to go forth from our own land and to receive his promise.

Help us to be touched by his love, that we may touch him in faith.

Help us to entrust ourselves fully to him and to believe in his love, especially at times of trial, beneath the shadow of the cross, when our faith is called to mature.

Sow in our faith the joy of the Risen One.

Remind us that those who believe are never alone.

Teach us to see all things with the eyes of Jesus, that he may be light for our path. And may this light of faith always increase in us, until the dawn of that undying day which is Christ himself, your Son, our Lord! (Pope Francis, Lumen Fidei 58-60)

POPE FRANCIS

ANGELUS

Saint Peter’s Square

Sunday, 12 July 2020

Dear Brothers and Sisters, Good morning!

In this Sunday’s Gospel passage (cf. Mt 13:1-23), Jesus tells a great crowd the Parable — that we all know well — of the Sower, who casts seeds over four different types of terrain. The Word of God, symbolized by the seeds, is not an abstract Word, but rather Christ himself, the Word of the Father who became flesh in Mary‘s womb. Embracing the Word of God therefore, means embracing the person of Christ; of Christ himself.

There are several different ways to receive the Word of God. We may do so like a path, where birds immediately come and eat the seeds. This would be distraction, a great danger of our time. Beset by lots of small talk, by many ideologies, by continuous opportunities for distraction inside and outside the home, we can lose our zest for silence, for reflection, for dialogue with the Lord, to the point that we risk losing our faith, not receiving the Word of God, as we are seeing everything, distracted by everything, by worldly things.

Another possibility: we may receive the Word of God like rocky ground, with little soil. There the seeds spring up quickly, but they also soon wither away, because they are unable to sink roots to any depth. This is the image of those who receive the Word of God with momentary enthusiasm, which however, remains superficial; it does not assimilate the Word of God. In this way, at the first difficulty, such as a discomfort or disturbance in life, that still-feeble faith dissolves, as the seed that falls among the rocks withers.

We can also — a third possibility that Jesus mentions in the parable — receive the Word of God like ground where thorny bushes grow. And the thorns are the deceit of wealth, of success, of worldly concerns… There, the Word grows a little, but becomes choked, it is not strong, and it dies or does not bear fruit.

Lastly — the fourth possibility — we may receive it like a good soil. Here, and here alone does the seed take root and bear fruit. The seed fallen upon this fertile soil represents those who hear the Word, embrace it, safeguard it in their heart and put it into practice in everyday life.

This Parable of the Sower is somewhat the ‘mother’ of all parables, because it speaks about listening to the Word. It reminds us that the Word of God is a seed which in itself is fruitful and effective; and God scatters it everywhere, paying no mind to waste. Such is the heart of God! Each one of us is ground on which the seed of the Word falls; no one is excluded! The Word is given to each one of us. We can ask ourselves: what type of terrain am I? Do I resemble the path, the rocky ground, the bramble bush? If we want, with the grace of God, we can become good soil, ploughed and carefully cultivated, to help ripen the seed of the Word. It is already present in our heart, but making it fruitful depends on us; it depends on the embrace that we reserve for this seed.

Often one is distracted by too many interests, by too many enticements, and it is difficult to distinguish, among the many voices and many words, that of the Lord, the only one that makes us free. This is why it is important to accustom oneself to listening to the Word of God, to reading it. And I return once more to that advice: always keep a handy copy of the Gospel with you, a pocket edition of the Gospel, in your pocket, in your purse … and then, read a short passage every day, so that you become used to reading the Word of God, understanding well the seed that God offers you, and thinking with what soil do I receive it.

May the Virgin Mary, perfect model of good and fertile soil, help us, with her prayer, to a steadfast soil without thorns or rocks, so that we may bear good fruit for ourselves and for our brothers and sisters.

_________________________

The earth bringing forth the Saviour

On a different note we can explore this similar notion: The earth bringing forth the Saviour

In Isaiah 4:2: “On that day, the shoot of Yahweh shall become beauty and glory, and the fruit of the earth shall be pride and splendour for the survivors of Israel.”

Psalm 66 is read at Lauds on the Nativity of Our Lord: “The earth has yielded its produce; God, our God, blesses us.”(The allusion is clear to Mary, who brings forth her fruit, Christ the Saviour.) This same Psalm 66 is also read in the Officium Parvum Beatae Mariae VirginisSaint Jerome, Commentary on the Psalms, 66/67:

“May He make His face shine upon us and have mercy on us, and make His way known on earth. When Christ comes manifest in glory, then it will be known to all why He first descended in the humility of the flesh. The earth has given its fruit: Mary has brought forth the Saviour.”, Eastertide ~ Simplex. The antiphon is: Ant. We run after thee, on the scent of thy perfumes; the virgins love thee heartily.

Saint Ephrem:

“Just as by the condemnation of the one Adam all bodies died and continue to die, so by the victory of the unique body of Christ, the whole Church has lived and continues to live. But just as the bodies themselves sinned and die, and the earth, their mother, is cursed, so, because of this body, which is the incorruptible Church, its earth has been blessed from the beginning. The earth is the body of Mary, this temple in which a seed has been deposited.” (Saint Ephrem, Diatessaron IV,5, Sources chrétiennes 121 by L. Leloir, Cerf, Paris, 1966, p. 102)

Theophanes of Nicaea

The Earth as a Figure of Mary

§ 3 God did not only create all things out of nothing for the sake of mere existence, but also for the sake of blessed existence: because this belongs to the highest goodness. […] The creature is therefore shaped twice: it receives simple existence at the beginning of the ages, and blessed existence in their fulfilment. […]

§ 4 The Creator Word, in the first creation, when He wished to form the first Adam, took the dust of the earth […] and formed his body with His creative hand and with His power, without concupiscence or carnal desires preceding his formation. On the other hand, the earth offered the material for the formation of Adam, while the form and the rational soul were given by the Creator Word Himself; it is also so in the second creation, the one which brings to beings blessed existence, and you could see something similar in it.

The Creator Word does not first remodel Adam, […] but He renews our nature in Himself, in Himself the Word carries our nature to perfection and gives it blessed existence. And God Himself—oh, unheard-of marvel!—becomes another Adam; He is both Creator and creature. And in this way, He proceeds with this second creation, bringing blessed existence to the whole of the old creation, which has already become a new creation in Christ (cf. Gal. 6:15).

Therefore, the new Adam, both creature and creator of Himself, first brought to existence, according to a plan laid out before the ages, the Virgin as a kind of earth, and with His creative hand, which is the Holy Spirit, He assumed from her His flesh as dust, and He appeared in our form, without any concupiscence or carnal pleasure having in any way preceded His conception and formation.

You see, therefore, that the manner of creation of the first Adam was the type and shadow of the manner of creation of the second Adam. […]

But consider the difference between the reality and its shadow. The first Adam became a cause of curse for the earth that bore him: it is written, “Cursed is the ground because of you” (Gen. 3:17); whereas the new Adam made of her who bore Him a blessing, for it is said, “Blessed are you among women” (Luke 1:28, 42). And not only this, but He made her the source and dispenser of blessing for all others.

N.B. In § 6, the author explains that the promised land is also a figure of Mary.

Theophanes of Nicaea, Discourses on the Mother of God, in G. Gharib and E. Toniolo (ed.), Marian Texts of the Second Millennium, Vol. 1: Eastern Authors, Città Nuova, Rome, 2008, pp. 427–428. Excerpts by F. Breynaert.

Irenaeus of Lyon

The Virgin Mother in God’s Salvific Plan: In describing the role of Mary in the history of salvation, Irenaeus uses the term “recirculation” to describe her work, while for Christ, he uses the term “recapitulation.” Just as the first Eve participated in the fall, so the New Eve participates in the restoration. According to this principle of recirculation, by which everything lost is recovered, we have: Christ takes up Adam, the Cross the tree of the fall, and Mary takes up Eve. The Word, by becoming incarnate, recapitulates in Himself all of humanity and becomes the new Adam. Just as the first had to be born from “virgin earth,” so too must the second. By giving birth to Him without any other human cooperation, Mary transmits all human nature to Christ so that He may be the new Adam. Alongside the relationship between Adam and Christ, Irenaeus develops the relationship between Eve and Mary. By receiving salvation and life, Mary becomes necessary for salvation, the cause of salvation through her obedience, whereas Eve, through her disobedience, caused death. It is Mary who undoes the knots of Eve’s disobedience, bringing life. Mary’s presence is constant because the presence of the Word transcends the historical moment and fills all times with His saving power. Just as she gave birth to Christ, Mary also gives life to the members of His Body. For Irenaeus, Mary is immanent in the mystery that saves, and her maternal womb is the source of regeneration for humanity in God.

Psalm 67:6: “The earth has given its fruit” Tertullian identifies the Virgin with the virgin earth from which God fashioned the new man.