Read Online
“The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word, but then
worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word and it bears
no fruit. But the seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the
word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields a
hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.” Matthew 13:22–23
Today, Jesus clarifies for His disciples the meaning of His parable
told to the crowds. He explains the meaning of the seed sown on the
path, on the rocky ground, among the thorns and on the rich soil.
Quoted above are the last two of those explanations. When we look
carefully at the meaning of the seed sown into the rich soil, we
see that these are those who hear, understand and bear fruit. And
the fruit that is born is in varying degrees. One thing that this
parable tells us is that hearing and even understanding the Word of
God is not enough. There are many temptations we will face that
will hinder God’s Word in our lives. Let’s briefly consider
each.
First, there are many people who have been blessed to hear the Word
of God. There are many who have been to religious education
classes, have been taught by parents and others, have attended
Church services but have failed to allow what they have heard to
penetrate deeply to the point that they understand. To hear the
Word of God is very different from understanding the Word of God.
One reason for this is that the pure Word of God, when heard and
understood, challenges us to the core of our being. If one truly
understands God’s Word, then that person cannot remain indifferent.
They must change. And they must change in a complete way. Failure
to do so means that it is impossible for good fruit to be born in
their life to the degree God wants.
But understanding and changing is not even enough. This is because
the enemies of our soul, traditionally spoken of as the world, the
flesh, and the devil, will powerfully attack any person who
receives the Word of God and decides to abide by that Word. For
example, if you were to fully accept the teachings of Jesus
regarding forgiveness of others, as soon as you make the choice to
forgive, there would most likely be numerous temptations to abandon
that practice. Pride, anger, hurt, the lies of the evil one and the
world will all try to deter you from an act of complete forgiveness
of others. Or take, for example, the call to live completely
detached from “riches.” Jesus’ teachings on true spiritual poverty
versus true spiritual riches require a depth of conversion that is
difficult to obtain. Thus, the “lure of riches” is very hard to
overcome.
In the end, if your soul is truly fertile ground and if you allow
the most pure and complete teaching of the Gospel to penetrate your
soul so as to change you in every way God wants to change you, then
this means that you have overcome each and every temptation thrown
at you. You have rejected the temptations that come from greed,
pride, anger and the like. You have embraced humility, rejected
worldly esteem, dismissed anxiety and worry and are directed only
by the powerful, gentle, holy, and clear Voice of God in your life.
This requires much prayer, much interior purification, total
dedication and unwavering obedience to the Word of God spoken to
you both through the Gospels and in the depths of your conscience.
And even among those who achieve this level of holiness, the fruit
born in their lives is dependent upon how fully and habitually they
live by the guiding Word of God.
Reflect, today, upon this high calling from our Lord. Achieving the
goal of having exceptionally rich soil in your heart for the Word
of God requires unyielding commitment and determination. There are
numerous temptations that will fight against the creation of a
fertile heart. Try to look at your own heart today. Be honest. How
fertile is it? Does the Word of God grow there? And if so, does it
grow to superabundance? Commit yourself to the goal of becoming
that rich soil in which the Word of God is sown that not only bears
good fruit but bears good fruit that is a hundredfold.
My demanding Lord, You desire that every soul of every person
You have created become the most pure and most fertile ground in
which the seed of Your Word can grow and produce fruit in
superabundance. Please help me to commit myself to this radical
depth of holiness, dear Lord. My life is Yours. Please purify me,
change me, mold me and produce in me an abundance of good fruit.
Jesus, I trust in You.
Source of content:
catholic-daily-reflections.com
Copyright 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved.
Used with permission via RSS feed.
Featured image above: The Parable of the Sower, from The
Story of Christ By Georg Pencz, via Wikimedia
Commons
Kommentare (0)
Melde dich an, um einen Kommentar zu schreiben.