Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 8, 4-15
When a large crowd gathered, with people from one town after another
journeying to Jesus, he spoke in a parable.
“A sower went out to sow his seed.
And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path and was trampled,
and the birds of the sky ate it up.
Some seed fell on rocky ground, and when it grew,
it withered for lack of moisture.
Some seed fell among thorns,
and the thorns grew with it and choked it.
And some seed fell on good soil, and when it grew,
it produced fruit a hundredfold.”
After saying this, he called out,
“Whoever has ears to hear ought to hear.”
Then his disciples asked him
what the meaning of this parable might be.
He answered,
“Knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of God
has been granted to you;
but to the rest, they are made known through parables
so that they may look but not see, and hear but not understand.
“This is the meaning of the parable.
The seed is the word of God.
Those on the path are the ones who have heard,
but the Devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts
that they may not believe and be saved.
Those on rocky ground are the ones who, when they hear,
receive the word with joy, but they have no root;
they believe only for a time and fall away in time of temptation.
As for the seed that fell among thorns,
they are the ones who have heard, but as they go along,
they are choked by the anxieties and riches and pleasures of life,
and they fail to produce mature fruit.
But 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.”
Seeds and harvest
1. On the roadside. These are the people I call a “roadside Christians,” people who live their life on the periphery, on the edge, and do not know how to foresee or plan ahead in depth. They are worried about everything, but they always wait until the last moment. They have no inner life; no spiritual life, and they appear to have no time for themselves. They are always in a hurry and solving things that they did not settle before, at the right time.
2. Rocks. Now there are what I call the “yes-but-no Christians.” They say “yes” to everything, but rarely take action. They can give you the runaround and promise a lot, but never finish anything. People like this participate cheerfully, they get enthusiastic easily but because they are superficial, they never persevere. They have no spiritual life and no depth in the way they speak and think. They may be good at thinking, but then they do not concretize their ideas. They cannot seem to put things into action because their feet are not firmly on the ground.
3. Thorns. These are the “worried, afflicted Christians” who are always distressed and show their emotions with their face. People like this are always looking for excuses and worry about everything. They worry and argue over details, over insignificant things. They are afraid to commit.
