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.”

The Sower of Life

1. Trampled on and eaten. In the Gospel, the seed suffers two actions—it’s trampled on and eaten—and these same things can happen to you, preventing you from growing in life. You might feel trampled on by others who impose their power on you. I’ve often seen people who lack identity and don’t know what they want because they always do what their spouse, bishop, or priest tells them to. It’s incredibly difficult to be productive when you’re constantly being trampled upon. Similarly, there are people who come to peck at your head with gossip and opinions about your life. These birds of ill omen always bring up all the catastrophes that could happen from every decision you want to make. They constantly tear you down, telling you that your choice is wrong or that you’ll fail.

2. Rocky ground. The second thing that keeps you from growing is becoming a stone or being surrounded by “rock” people, who judge everything by reason or rigid plans. They are confrontational and unable to have a real dialogue. They cling to structures and end up suffocating themselves. To be a stone person is to be unproductive, unwilling to break free from the structures of your life and afraid to be open to your inner self.

3. Thorns. Finally, you can’t grow anything in your life when pain keeps you trapped. You don’t dare to try anything new because everything hurts. This leads to oversensitivity; you even start to make up new pains for yourself. Today, Jesus encourages you to look at your life as a chance to be productive and to discover where your life is headed. I think we all go through these stages sooner or later. We feel trampled on, we harden ourselves from the blows, and we cling to old wounds. But it’s important not to get stuck there; use these experiences to figure out how to overcome them, bear fruit, and bring life to those around you.

Never forget that something good is on the way! 

God bless you and be with you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.