But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold. // Matthew 13:9.

When I look around our world right now, the world in which I’m raising five kids, I do not see a lot of rich soil. It would be a generous description of our culture to describe it as “rocky” when it comes to how hospitable it is to faith at all, and the Catholic faith in particular. Yet I see my main job as a mom trying to raise Catholic kids into Catholic adults as providing them with rich soil in which their own faith can take root. 

I need to remind myself often that rich soil can look like a lot of different things, especially to different people. Most importantly however, rich soil can be enriched through simplicity. The good, true, and the beautiful are so powerful in the minds and hearts of our children that even when they are presented in what seem to be basic and simple ways, the impact is felt upon their souls. 

The beauty of our parish church, the red light glowing beside the tabernacle, or the small statue of Mary are little signs of the power of beauty. Providing my children with the truth that God loves them and made them for a purpose over and over again throughout their lives imprints truth onto their hearts. When my children see the goodness that is shown when I serve my husband in small ways, making him lunch, getting up in the middle of the night with another sick child, or running a dreaded errand, they see what goodness looks like in the everyday. 

I know this may sound overly simplistic, especially when we look at the world full of ugliness that surrounds us. But preparing rich soil for the souls of children, whether our own or those dear to us, is done every day and in simple ways. Rich soil is cultivated over time and can’t be artificially replicated, or else it will only be a sandy path: easy to walk upon, but impossible in which to grow deep roots.

How can we perform a small act of service today to help rich soil develop in the lives of our children, our community, and our society at large?