15A Sower
Scripturally, the parable has to do with different sorts of reception. The seed stands for the word sown.
My mom has a t-shirt that gets her out of a lot commitments, the shirt says: “Sorry I Can't My Plants Need Me”
Saint John Paul II remarked that there are great psychological insights in the comparisons of the soils.
1.Sown on the road--Dismissive Barrier, "I know enough" no receptivity to explore ideas further. Satan persuades us to remain in the dark, Or, like the Pharisees who have so misunderstood Jesus that they accuse him of being in league with the devil (Matthew 9:34; 12:24). Or too busy. The busy thoroughfare of life hardens the hearts of many people. People with crowded calendars and busy schedules that leave no room for God. People so caught up in their physical life that they neglect their heart allowing it to become calloused and hard. Representa Alma's vacias, aceptar influencias external solamente. No controlar sus sentidos.
The way out of this trap by the evil one is to apply one’s intellectual ability so that we understand God’s word in our lives when we hear it.
And so I am asking you as I am asking myself. How well do you listen? Studies show that we don't really remember much, which is why Jesus told so many stories.
E.g. In Texas they tell the humorous story of an immigrant from the Middle East named Ahmed who managed a repair service there in the Lone Star state. One day a man called the repair service and asked to speak to the manager, Ahmed.
"Hello, Ed speaking. How can I help you?" said the guy who answered the phone. "Sorry," said the caller, "I was calling for Amed." "This is Amed," came the reply, "How can I help you?"
"I thought you said your name was Ed?" asked the potential client. "I did," said Ed with a genuine Texas accent. "However, whenever I answer the phone and say, "Ahmed," people think I'm saying, "Ah'm Ed." So I figured it's just easier to be Ed."
What makes a heart too hard for God’s Word to sink in?
Only interested in external things. Not interested in guarding their senses or controlling what they view in movies, entertainment or the internet. It’s a narcissism that is only guided by self-interest. What plows the packed soil is critical thinking.
2. Rocky soil--Discrepancy Barrier, "That's not me. I normally do not do that. Not rooted in character. In some places in Galilee the soil merely provides a shallow covering for the rocks underneath that the sower did not know or could not see.
Rocky ground-- received the Word with joy at first but did not last because of some problem or persecution comes. Too much self-seeking insofar as there is too much reliance on emotions and feelings. Se atiene mucho a las emociones o sentimientos en la vida espiritual, lol Que es un a for a de egoismo.The solution is to have a resolution and stick to it, and when you fall, get back, reform it, and stick to it. Thoughts led to acts, acts to habits, habits to character, character to destiny.
Also, to bring the difficult feelings to God, and talking it out with others. Jesus does not promise exuberant feelings but he does promise peace is possible that the world cannot give.
3. Thorns-- Distracted Barrier. Slowing drifting away from Jesus' priorities. Choked by worldly anxiety and the lure of riches.
Say this prayer written by seminarians: “Jesus, come into my life. Reveal yourself to me. Free me from my sins and lead me to the truth. Reveal to me your mercy in the power of your resurrection. Lord Jesus Christ, prove to me your love and lead me to everlasting life.” (from the book, “How to win friends for Christ one conversation at a time,” by Fr. Thomas Cavanaugh and John D. Love.).
Seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bear fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.
Where there is enough soil to hold a seed, there is a possibility of new life through the slightest opening. Just one crack in the sidewalk or parking lot and a seed can sprout and grow,
Keep forming yourself for a better harvest-- Ongoing formation begins with and is sustained by commitments made by priests and by the Church they serve. Without a deliberate or intentional decision to engage the process and without the willingness to support it, ongoing formation cannot happen. This means that the proper resources of time, personnel, and finances must be allotted.
Good soil example--
Catherine Marshall once told about a couple named Mary and Harold Brinig, who moved to Chicago many years ago. They had no friends there and were lonely. Irritable and unhappy with each other, they sought help from the Bible. They found it in John 15:16, where Jesus said: "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide." They wondered what mission Jesus had included them in. The first person they encountered after the inspiration of this verse was the waitress who served them in a nearby restaurant, who also was new in the city and had apologized to them for the slow service. They invited her to their apartment after work. Next they befriended a lonely widower and soon a dozen people were meeting once a week for conversation and prayer.
Out of these meetings grew a project called "Adventures in Friendship." Soon several groups were involved in visiting the lonely and the shut-ins throughout the whole area. There was an interesting byproduct of this ministry. Mary and Harold became so absorbed in the needs of others that they soon forgot their own troubles. Their lives became immeasurably richer and fuller.
