When
a large crowd gathered, with people from one town after another journeying to
him, he spoke in a parable. "A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he
sowed, some seed fell on the path and was trampled, and the birds of the sky
ate it up. Some seed fell on rocky ground, and when it grew, it withered for
lack of moisture. Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew with it and
choked it. And some seed fell on good soil, and when it grew, it produced fruit
a hundredfold." After saying this, he called out, "Whoever has ears
to hear ought to hear." Then his disciples asked him what the meaning of
this parable might be. He answered, "Knowledge of the mysteries of the
kingdom of God has been granted to you; but to the rest, they are made known
through parables so that ´they may look but not see, and hear but not
understand.´ “This is the meaning of the parable. The seed is the word of God.
Those on the path are the ones who have heard, but the devil comes and takes
away the word from their hearts that they may not believe and be saved. Those
on rocky ground are the ones who, when they hear, receive the word with joy,
but they have no root; they believe only for a time and fall away in time of
trial. As for the seed that fell among thorns, they are the ones who have
heard, but as they go along, they are choked by the anxieties and riches and
pleasures of life, and they fail to produce mature fruit. But as for the seed
that fell on rich soil, they are the ones who, when they have heard the word,
embrace it with a generous and good heart, and bear fruit through
perseverance." (Luke 8:4-15)
Introductory
Prayer: Lord Jesus, I believe that you came into this
world to redeem sinners. I hope in you and in your power to transform my soul,
by your grace, from sinfulness to holiness. Lord, I love you and offer you the
longings of my heart to put you truly first in my life. I want to love you with
all my mind, heart, soul and strength.
Petition:
Lord, grant me docility to your will for me.
1.
Hard Ground: We act like hard
ground when we hear the inspirations of the Holy Spirit to do what is right,
but let them pass as if they were no big deal. We let the devil take away the
grace Jesus offers us, and it does not sink into our hearts. Many times
superficiality and a lack of faith prevent us from reflecting and taking
advantage of the lights that God gives us. We should pray to be more spiritual.
2.
Rocky Ground: How many of us hear
the Word of God with joy and follow Christ in the peaceful times, but fall away
in the times of trial? We need to let our spiritual roots grow deeper; we need
to let the roots of God’s word grow more profoundly into our hearts. The best
way to do this is by reading and meditating on the Gospel and solidifying this
faith through the sacraments of confession and the Eucharist.
3.
Thorny Ground: The thorny ground
represents those of us who are slowed down in our spiritual life by the
anxieties, riches and pleasures of life. When the ground of our hearts is
thorny, we fail to produce the mature fruit that Christ expects — and we live
in the midst of so many thorns! In order to let God’s grace grow in us, we have
to sacrifice our own comfort and pleasure, because apart from the cross there
is no growth in personal holiness.
Conversation
with Christ: Lord Jesus, treat me
like dirt … but like good dirt. I don’t want to place thorns or rocks or
hardness of heart in the way of your word. I want to be fertile soil for your
word, so that you can use me as an instrument to save souls and glorify you.
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