http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/072712.cfm
During my high school and college years, being in a catholic school, we always had religion courses. And one course subject that I remember was Salvation History. I passed, but the sad thing is I vaguely remember some of it. Was I listening? Was I being blind intentionally? It was a blur. However, I do believe that those formative years have put a seed in my heart to put me in the right path.
In connection with the gospel today about the parable of the sower, I have been in all those different types of ground. During my younger years and some of my adult years, I have chosen the worldly life. But there is always that voice that calls me from within to seek Him. And so, I go to church, I was even in the choir back in the days. It was during those time God surrounded me with good people, to aid me in my walk of life. But I was still yearning for something. Even though I go to church, I never really and fully understood my Catholic faith and why I was doing it, I never understood the Liturgy of the Word, the Liturgy of the Eucharist, the order of the mass...etc. But I still went even without knowing. But since my faith was seated on rocky grounds and among thorns, I immediately crumble. When problems and trial comes, I immediately resort to thinking that God is somehow punishing me. There were even times when I blamed Him for bad things that are happening to me. And there are times when I questioned my faith.
But that was then...I was blind, but now I see. So what changed? In my faith journey, I have allowed myself to be the rich soil, and opened my ears to the Word of God, and asked God so that I can understand it and give me the strength to live it and share it with others. As the prophet Jeremiah prophesied to Judah in the first reading today, the seeds on thorny and rocky grounds are somewhat synonymous to being rebellious. We can choose to be the rich soil if we want to, but its our rebellious nature that prevents us from doing it. You might be wondering, how am I rebellious?...by committing sin...sin is a rebellion against God. So you might be asking now...how do I get to be the rich soil? right? There are many ways to be the rich soil. If I were to list it down, this will not be a blog anymore but a novel. But allow me to share this wonderful article from the Sunday Bulletin of St. Dominic's Church in Missouri:
As we ponder an obvious question from today’s Gospel—how do we become the rich soil Jesus describes?—we might learn a lesson or two from compost. When we allow the “waste” of our lives— broken relationships, self-doubts, long-held grudges— to be converted into compassion, forgiveness, and openness, we’re more receptive to God’s movement. As we let go of old hurts and anger, the soil of our lives can hold the nourishment of God’s Word, which sustains us through challenging and painful times. Just as compost takes time, becoming rich soil ourselves doesn’t happen immediately. Just as compost isn’t necessarily beautiful—it’s crumbly, dirty, and sometimes smelly— our self-composting may involve dealing with the not-so-pretty parts of ourselves. But the transformation is rich with life, is worth the wait and, in the end, produces beautiful fruit for God. - Jane Esker (St. Dominic Church, Missouri)
Excerpt taken from - http://www.stdominic-church.org/resources/LSB_071011.pdf
So my challenge to you (and me) is this. Do we choose to be the rich soil? or rocky and/or thorny grounds? If you have read the Bible (Salvation History), we all know well what happened to the people of Israel when they ignored the warnings of the prophets. Will we also be indifferent to God and wait for that day to come?
Come to Jesus...He loves you more than you know.
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