Daily Retreat 09/23/06
2006 Sep 23 Sat: Pio of Pietrelcina, p M
1 Cor 15: 35-37. 42-49/ Ps 55(56): 10c-12. 13-14/ Lk 8: 4-15
From today’s readings: “Just as we have borne the image of the earthly one, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly one.... I will walk in the presence of God, in the light of the living.... As for the seed that fell on rich soil, they are the ones who, when they have heard the word, embrace it with a generous and good heart, and bear fruit through perseverance....”
Parable of the Sower
Jesus Himself stressed the fundamental importance of the Parable of the Sower (cf. Mark 4:13), which considers various responses to the encounter with the Word of God. Not only is it one of His most detailed parables, but it is also the one with the most detailed explanation.
In each case presented, the sower is the same, the seed is similar, but the soil is sundry. So, Jesus explains, in some lives, the Word of God has no yield because of the lack of reception: just as some seed falls on the hardened path and is trampled by daily traffic and then finally and fecklessly disregarded as birdseed, likewise does the Word of God at times fall on hardened hearts, tragically tread upon by a stampede of prevailing preoccupations and then utterly abandoned to the devouring Devil.
Then too, Jesus explains, in some lives, the Word of God has no yield because of neglectful inception: just as some seed sprouts in the shallow soil of rocky ground but does not take root, likewise does the Word of God at times germinate prematurely in shallow hearts, initially receptive but lacking in depth and without provision for regular nourishment, and thus soon scorched and dried up.
And, Jesus explains, in some lives, the Word of God has no yield because of adverse interception: just as some seed gets lost among thorns which choke it’s growth, likewise is the Word of God at times effectively gagged when it falls on hearts overgrown with worldly desires and anxieties.
Surely it is not just in other people, but in our own hearts as well, that you and I can detect traces of such spoiled soil! So if the Word of God is ever to produce that supernal yield for us, we must address all our personal deficiencies of reception, inception, and interception, and thus receive the Word and “embrace it with a generous and good heart, and bear fruit through perseverance.”
1 Cor 15: 35-37. 42-49/ Ps 55(56): 10c-12. 13-14/ Lk 8: 4-15
From today’s readings: “Just as we have borne the image of the earthly one, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly one.... I will walk in the presence of God, in the light of the living.... As for the seed that fell on rich soil, they are the ones who, when they have heard the word, embrace it with a generous and good heart, and bear fruit through perseverance....”
Parable of the Sower
Jesus Himself stressed the fundamental importance of the Parable of the Sower (cf. Mark 4:13), which considers various responses to the encounter with the Word of God. Not only is it one of His most detailed parables, but it is also the one with the most detailed explanation.
In each case presented, the sower is the same, the seed is similar, but the soil is sundry. So, Jesus explains, in some lives, the Word of God has no yield because of the lack of reception: just as some seed falls on the hardened path and is trampled by daily traffic and then finally and fecklessly disregarded as birdseed, likewise does the Word of God at times fall on hardened hearts, tragically tread upon by a stampede of prevailing preoccupations and then utterly abandoned to the devouring Devil.
Then too, Jesus explains, in some lives, the Word of God has no yield because of neglectful inception: just as some seed sprouts in the shallow soil of rocky ground but does not take root, likewise does the Word of God at times germinate prematurely in shallow hearts, initially receptive but lacking in depth and without provision for regular nourishment, and thus soon scorched and dried up.
And, Jesus explains, in some lives, the Word of God has no yield because of adverse interception: just as some seed gets lost among thorns which choke it’s growth, likewise is the Word of God at times effectively gagged when it falls on hearts overgrown with worldly desires and anxieties.
Surely it is not just in other people, but in our own hearts as well, that you and I can detect traces of such spoiled soil! So if the Word of God is ever to produce that supernal yield for us, we must address all our personal deficiencies of reception, inception, and interception, and thus receive the Word and “embrace it with a generous and good heart, and bear fruit through perseverance.”
posted by FrPitstick | 9/19/2006
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