The Holy Venerable-Martyr Febronia
Romans 16:1-16; Matthew 13:3-9
Apostles’ Fast. Abstention from meat and foods that contain meat.
Read Matthew 13:3-9
The parable of the sower in today’s Gospel is a powerful reminder to us that the Lord continues to sow the seeds of the Gospel even in these days. While we are often reminded to consider what sort of ground our hearts are, fertile, rocky, or thorny, we can also see this ground as symbolic of the world in which we live. Throughout salvation history there are those who have received the Gospel and those who have rejected it. There are also those who embrace it with zeal and then when it becomes inconvenient to how they wish to live their lives they ignore it. When we look at our world today, especially our corner of it in Canada, the United States, or wherever we may be, we might see it all as thorns or rocky ground. Can there be any fertile, rich soil left?
God always provides the rich soil but He needs us to help Him sow the seed. There are so many around us who seek truth, the love of God, and the answers to the questions in the depths of their heart. As St. John Paul II said, Jesus Christ is the answer to every human question and longing of the heart. Are we there, meeting others in their longing for Christ? Do we bring Him to them by our words and actions? Do we talk about the Gospel explicitly and not just implicitly? Do we speak about the truths of our Catholic faith, even when they appear inconvenient if not downright threatening to those of a secular mindset? Do we trust in the Gospel and the power of the Word of God to draw hearts to Himself?
God has sown the seed of the Gospel in our hearts through our baptism, watered by those baptismal waters and germinated by the warmth of the Holy Spirit these seeds can bear much fruit if we live out our faith in Christ and proclaim His Gospel in the world. But, to allow those roots to strengthen and that fruit to be plentiful, we must pray daily, we must receive Our Lord in the Most Holy Eucharist regularly, we must confess our sins regularly, and we must live coherent Catholic lives professing and practising the fullness of the faith. Then when we proclaim the Gospel to those around us we do so with integrity and Christ will manifest Himself to those we meet. Trust in Him!