Jesus compared people to trampled, rocky, thorn-choked, and fertile ground. Seed, representing the Word of God, can only thrive when it takes root in good soil. Saint Paul, once a powerful Pharisee, had zealously persecuted believers in the early Church. A blinding light and the voice of the Lord caused Paul to fall to the ground and led to his conversion. He became the “Apostle to the Gentiles.” Timothy received the gift of faith planted more gently by his grandmother and mother, but Paul had confidence in that faith as he took Timothy under his wing. Without a person understanding exactly how, even a tiny seed can become a huge plant. When the Disciples had frantically awakened Jesus as their boat took on water in a storm, they asked if the Lord cared that they might drown. When our fears and struggles weigh heavily, what measure of faith do we place in God’s wisdom and care?