Luke 8: 4-15 (Saturday, September 22, 2007)

The last few words in the gospel of today are the most important for us. We want to be the seed that falls on the rich soil. How do we receive the word of God? To be the seed that falls on rich ground, we must accept the word of God with a generous and good heart. Are we open when Jesus speaks to us? Perhaps when he tells us the things we want to hear, “yes” and when he challenges us to the things we do not want to hear, we do not. We get into the whole attitude of picking and choosing what we want to hear and want we want to believe. Our faith lies in accepting willingly whatever God wants to give us to us. It is not faith if we are only open to what we want to have from God. The teaching in today’s gospel does not presume that things are going to be easy. Bearing Christian fruit is not easy. However, we must persevere. Christians do not just give up when things become difficult. Christians hold firm unto the living Christ, knowing that he would lead them through the current storms to times of greater success.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus Christ, we trust in the plan you have for us. Use us as your will to accomplish the work of your kingdom. Send us crosses and sufferings, if these will make us become truly the people you have called us to be.