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Wednesday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time - The Deepest Desire of Your Heart

Wednesday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time - The Deepest Desire of Your Heart

Catholic Daily Reflections vor 2 Jahren

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Catholic Daily Reflections

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Short reflections on the Gospel of the day, from My Catholic Life!

Religion & Spiritualität

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“Those sown among thorns are another sort. They are the people who
hear the word, but worldly anxiety, the lure of riches, and the
craving for other things intrude and choke the word, and it bears
no fruit.” Mark 4:20

This description from the Parable of the Sower seems to describe a
growing number of people in our world today. The first grouping of
people mentioned in this parable have little to no faith and are
represented by the seed sown on the path which is quickly consumed
by satan. The second group of people have a little initial faith
and are represented by seed sown on rocky ground. The passage above
represents the third grouping of people who are like seeds sown in
good soil but are also among thorns. The fourth are those who are
like rich soil and the Word of God grows deeply in their lives.
Let’s consider the third grouping of people in more detail.

There are three evils that choke off the Word of God in our lives:
“worldly anxiety, the lure of riches, and the craving for other
things.” In our day and age, there are many who encounter various
types of anxieties, are consumed with a desire for material wealth
and find themselves craving many other things. In all three cases,
these interior temptations have the effect of overwhelming the pure
Truth of the Word of God in their lives.

Anxiety is a common problem today. And though this is a
psychological struggle much of the time, it also can have spiritual
roots. Anxiety is the struggle of worrying excessively, nervousness
about many aspects of life and an uneasiness about the future. In
this case, when the Person of Jesus and the Truth of the Gospel
message does not consume and direct our lives, we are left on our
own to “figure it out.” And this loneliness will almost always lead
us into a loss of hope, fear and lack of deep peace.

Most people who struggle with anxiety will constantly look for a
cure. And one place they often look is the deceptive consolation of
material wealth or the “craving for other things.” Imagine if you
won a tremendous amount of money. Would this resolve your worries
in life? Though you may be tempted to think it would, deep down we
all know that this is a lie. Material wealth is never a reliable
source of satisfaction in life. The same is true with almost
everything else we “crave” in life. One thing and one thing alone
can satisfy. And that one thing is God.

Reflect, today, upon those things in your life that seem to occupy
your mental energy. What do you worry about, hope for, deeply
desire? What do you falsely believe will relieve your interior
struggles? What do you crave? Take time today to remind yourself of
the irrefutable truth that God, His holy will and all that He has
revealed as True is the only source of satisfaction. Seek to let
that Truth sink in deeply in your heart so that the Truths of God
will grow and bear the abundant good fruit you so deeply
desire.

My merciful Lord, help me to be open fully to Your holy Word so
that the seed of Your Word will be planted deeply in my heart. May
I always reject the many lies and deceptions of the world so that I
can be freed of the anxieties and fleeting pleasures of life. May I
seek only the deep and sustaining delights that come from a life
fully given over to You so that I will live in the peace and grace
of Your holy will. Jesus, I trust in You.

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Featured image above: Parable of the sower (September) By Marten
van Valckenborch