February 3

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MEDITATION FOR FEBRUARY 3

PARABLE OF THE SOWER

“A sower went out to sow seed; and as he sowed, some fell by the wayside, and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. And other some fell upon a rock and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away because it had no moisture. And other some fell upon thorns, and the thorns growing up, with it, choked it. And other some fell upon good ground, and being sprung up yielded fruit a hundred-fold” (Luke 8, 5-8).

First Prelude: In spirit join the multitudes listening to Jesus as He relates this parable.

Second Prelude: O my Jesus, give me grace to be of the number of those who not only hear Thy divine word but also comprehend it, preserve it in their heart, and yield fruit a hundredfold.

First Point

CONTEMPLATE THE SOWER AND THE SEED

Who does not recognize in the Sower our Divine Saviour, Who in infinite love descended to earth to drop into the hearts of men the inestimable seed of His heavenly doctrine, that they may yield fruit for everlasting life? Our Divine Saviour Himself designates the seed as the word of God, or the word of the kingdom of God, which is grounded in sanctifying grace, in faith, and in the practice of all virtues, and which should be developed and fructified in us through this word. What precious and rare seed is not the word of God! How ardently should we desire, and how eagerly strive, to make our hearts receptive for it!

God is always ready to aid us and offers us His graces in generous measure. He desires nothing more ardently than our salvation and perfection, and exhorts us incessantly by special divine inspirations. What gratitude do we owe Jesus for our holy vocation in which he ceases not to implant His seed into our hearts, by interior enlightenments and salutary inspirations, as well as by penetrating admonitions and good example, calculated to incline the will towards the practice of virtue. The more faithful we are, the more generously will God sow His seed into our hearts; if, however, we resist His grace and the special marks of His divine love, or manifest ingratitude toward the Divine Sower, we force Him to withdraw from us entirely.

Let us, therefore, hear the word of God in whatever form it comes to us, with reverence, faith and submission, and let us pray the Lord to help us that we may regulate our whole conduct accordingly, “That not,” as we read in the Imitation, “the word be unto judgment, if we only hear it, but fail to accomplish it, recognize but fail to love it, believe it but fail to regulate our conduct accordingly.”

Second Point

HINDRANCE TO THE OPERATIONS OF DIVINE GRACE

If the seed of the divine word yields little or no fruit in us, though imparted to us so generously, the fault can lie only in the poorly-prepared soil of our heart. Our Divine Saviour points out the three main hindrances that blight its fertility. As first cause of sterility He designates the seed that fell by the wayside, namely, into a heart that, like a public thoroughfare, is open to traffic, to all manner of distractions and affections for creatures. Unobserved and with little effort the Evil Spirit will succeed in taking out of such a heart the good seed, the wholesome lessons, good inspirations, and holy resolves. How important, therefore, is it for us to foster recollection and to guard our heart diligently!

Again, some hearts are superficial. They resemble stony ground, covered with a thin layer of earth in which the seed, indeed, sprouts quickly, but withers very soon. Superficial souls manifest great zeal at the outset on hearing the word of God, but they lack perseverance. Failing to ground their virtue deeply in humility, they yield to presumption, vanity, and affection for their private judgment. They overestimate their own strength and, not reckoning sufficiently with their inherent weakness, nor relying on the grace of God, they are brought to waver by the slightest temptation or a mere word of reproach. They are vacillating and inconstant, hence their zeal is short-lived. The thorns which choked the seed are the excessive care for temporalities, natural affections, vain desires and apprehensions. If these vitiate the soil of our heart, the good seed cannot thrive. They will smother our good resolves and acts of virtue, and will finally weaken and completely paralyze our desire to advance in perfection.

Oh, that my heart were good ground, teeming with an upright good will, that in all humility, recollection and detachment, I would yield fruits of virtue, zeal and edification, in patience, even a hundredfold. Is not my heart preoccupied with excessive cares concerning my office, my health, the future? Do I not frequently choke the good seed in my heart by idle thoughts, conversations, and worldly ambitions?

Affections: O my God, how great is Thy goodness, to condescend to speak to us poor mortals, and to scatter the exceedingly precious seed of Thy divine word into our hearts. Can I ever sufficiently appreciate this great boon, and adequately venerate Thy sacred Word? I will hear it attentively and with absolute submission of my will, and like Mary, my mother and model, preserve it solicitously in my heart. Help me, Blessed Mother of the Eternal Word, to prepare the soil of my heart for this divine seed, to banish distractions, self-love and excessive solicitude, that in patience and humility, in silence and holy recollection I may yield fruits of salvation and perfection, yes, according to the promises of Christ, even a hundredfold.

Resolution: I will carefully watch over my heart, and banish from it all obstacles to divine grace.

Spiritual Bouquet: “Speak, Lord, Thy servant heareth!”

Prayer: Take, O Lord . . .