As we all know, there are various kinds of seeds.

There are seeds that end up with fruit. There are seeds that spread weeds. There are large seeds that create small plants and small seeds that lead to huge trees.

It all comes down to the designs of God — and letting that design work within us.

You are as great as anyone. You are as needed by the Lord as everyone. You are destined for the heights and simply must strive for that. Don’t block the sun.

What grows, as far as seeds in us, depends on how we do or do not nurture them. It depends on what kind of soil we give them. It depends on whether they are refreshed with living waters or left to struggle on their own — spiritual aridity.

What are the seeds God has planted within us? It’s worth meditating on. They are the gifts He has given us. They are talents. They are compassion and empathy. They are generosity and kindness. There are paths of holiness. Holiness is a seed. So is evil. The devil too plants a vineyard. We nurture the seeds of God with the sacraments. We nurture them with good deeds — in thought, prayer, and action.

Today’s reading (2 Corinthians 9): “Brothers and sisters, consider this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each must do as already determined, without sadness or compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. Moreover, God is able to make every grace abundant for you, so that in all things, always having all you need.”

This follows Sunday’s reading (Mark 4): “To what shall we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable can we use for it? It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth. But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade.”

Do you read Scripture often? “Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God” (Luke 8).

All of us have what we need to succeed in whatever environment we find ourselves in.

Every generation has had its steep challenges.

This one, the current youth, is not unique.

It is different. It is more intense in some regards — and comes at a culminating point.

But we recall those born into poverty, war, slavery, Nazism, and persecution through all of history.

God gives us — and now, our youth — the gifts and tools or seeds to deal with it. When we use our gifts, we water them. They grow. They are what is needed in the world right now, whether or not we realize it.

This was expressed brilliantly by a man who “tweeted” recently: