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“Whoever has ears to hear ought to hear.” Luke 8:8
This short line is, in a sense, a summary of the Parable of the
Sower. This parable presents us with four different ways in which
the Word of God is received. The seed that is sown is the Word of
God. The four different categories of people are compared to seed
sown on a path, rocky ground, among thorns and in good soil.
Jesus explains that the seed sown on the path are those “who have
heard, but the Devil comes and takes away the word from their
hearts.” The seed sown on rocky ground are those who “receive the
word with joy, but they have no root; they believe only for a time
and fall away in time of temptation.” The seed sown among thorns
are those who have heard the Word and received it, but over time
they are “choked by the anxieties and riches and pleasures of life,
and they fail to produce mature fruit.” Finally, those who are like
rich soil are those who heard the Word and “embrace it with a
generous and good heart, and bear fruit through
perseverance.”
As you look at those categories of people, where do you fall? Most
likely, for those who pray daily and try to follow our Lord, one of
the last two categories is where they fall. Note that for those who
are like seed sown in the thorns and those sown in rich soil, fruit
is born from the Word of God. In other words, their lives do change
and they do make a difference in the world on account of God’s holy
Word and presence in their lives. The difference, however, is that
those who struggle with “the anxieties and riches and pleasures of
life” will fail to produce “mature fruit.” This is a good teaching
for faithful Christians to ponder.
When you look at your life, what sort of fruit do you see? The
“fruit” of which our Lord speaks can be identified with the fruits
of the Spirit: charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
forbearance, gentleness, faith, modesty, self-control, and
chastity. Thus, if you want to discern whether you are more like
one who bears mature fruit vs. immature fruit, look at those holy
qualities carefully. How “mature” are each of these fruits of the
Spirit alive in your life? They make a wonderful examination of
conscience for those looking to go deeper than just the Ten
Commandments or Seven Capital Sins. If these good fruits are born
from your life in a truly mature way, you should be able to see how
they affect others through you. For example, how has your kindness,
patience, faith and self-control helped others in their Christian
walk?
Reflect, today, upon the fruits of the Spirit. Review them
carefully and prayerfully as you examine your own life. Where you
see them in abundance, rejoice and give thanks, and work to foster
their growth. Where you see them lacking, rejoice also in that
insight and consider the reason they are lacking. Are there worldly
anxieties, desires for riches or pleasures that hinder their
growth? Seek to be that truly rich soil, and our Lord will indeed
bring forth much good fruit in you and through you.
My divine Sower, You sow the perfect seeds of Your Word in
abundance. Please help me to open my heart to receive that Word so
that an abundance of good fruit can be born. Please free me from
the anxieties and deceptions of life so that I can hear clearly
Your holy Word and nurture that Word in my heart. I rejoice, dear
Lord, in all that You have and continue to do in and through me.
Jesus, I trust in You.
Parable of the Sower by Lawrence OP, license CC BY-NC-ND
2.0.
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