Reading the parable of Jesus, where is your heart? What kind of soil do you identify with? - Daily Reflections September 20,2014

GOOD SOIL   Have you ever noticed a farmer sowing seeds in the fields? I often think to myself how does anything grow when they liberally throw the seed onto the ground. Jesus is using the parable of the sower to explain to His followers the importance of the soil being fertile to receive His word and bear fruit. In His parable cum homily, Jesus explains His teaching. He is the greatest homilist that has ever lived!        A text like this one is good for our examen of conscience. The question we must ask ourselves is, “What type of soil am I? Is the soil of my heart rocky, thorny or rich? Do I receive the Word as the ground receives the seed, or does it fall by the roadside?”        A spiritual director once said to me that our lives are like the earth, ready to receive water from the rain and everything that falls upon it. The earth does not complain or reject but simply receives what is given to it — rain, sun, frost, moisture.        The Korean martyrs whom the Church honors today — St. Andrew Kim and his companions — were men of rich soil. They received the Word of the Lord and carried it through right unto their death. Even at life’s end, they were called to renounce their faith. But since their lives were founded on the Word of God, they committed themselves fully to its consequences that spring from truth, faith and love for the Lord.        Knowing ourselves, at times our hearts can be rich soil, at other times rocky, at other times thorny, producing no fruit because we are so concerned inwardly with our problems and trials. We must pray to God for strength of heart and commitment to His Word at all times and through all seasons. The Word of God endures forever, not just when we feel like it. All of us are called to practice the Word of God — the teachings of Jesus, the values of the Gospel, and the Word that is Spirit and Life. Fr. Brian Steele, MGL   REFLECTION QUESTIONS: Reading the parable of Jesus, where is your heart? What kind of soil do you identify with?   Lord, let me live according to Your Word. I trust and praise Your Word of life. Amen.