Having lived most of my life in the Interlake region of Manitoba, I can relate to a line in this passage from Mark, the passage referring to seed sown on rocky ground not having much soil. Jesus, however, is speaking not of ordinary seed but of the seed of the kingdom, the seed of the word.
Obtaining a crop can often be a hit-or-miss situation. One never knows where the seed will end up. The important thing is that the seed, especially that of the kingdom, be given a chance to grow. With the seed of the kingdom, all places deserve a chance to be fruitful.
How then does the seed of the kingdom work? No one except God knows, not even the sower. Perhaps the sower need not know, for that is not his job. His job is to make sure that the seed of the kingdom gets to places where it has a chance to germinate, grow, come to harvest, even the rocky places, for all places are equally deserving in God’s sight.
What kind of soil are we? Indeed, what kind of sowers are we? If sowers, are we willing to take the seed of the word to the rocky places of life?
Master Sower, help us to take the seed of the kingdom, the word, to the rocky places of people's lives without complaining about our task. Amen. — AEA