The Soil verses the Seed
If I sow a word, then I reap a thought;
if I sow a thought, then I reap an act;
if I sow an act, then I reap a habit;
if I sow a habit, then I reap a character.
It sounds so simple and in effect it is very simple to determine what the character of an individual will be.
St. John Bosco would tell us that a soul is destroyed by three actions:
1) read bad books
2) hang around bad companions
3) listen to bad conversation
These actions will lead a soul to the devil’s jail. Two weeks ago we spent some serious time reflecting on the pains of hell and why we should do all in our power to avoid it. Today we must study character formation which is nothing more than training in conviction.
Convictions begin through a search for the truth. Education is all about going from one truth to the next. The basic principle is to teach from that which is known to that which is unknown. St.Thomas Aquinas uses this technique through the entire Summa Theologica. Our Lord’s teaching today presents a common experience of the farmer sowing the seeds in a field which has a footpath around it, some rocky soil and some soil infested with thorns and thistles and finally some good soil. This is the known. Our Lord reveals the unknown in a conversation after the presentation. He teaches us the meaning of the symbols as a study in characters.
On the footpath the soil is very hard and when the seed falls upon it then the birds of the air consume the seed which indicates how the devil longs to keep the word of God from penetrating the heart of such an individual. This person will not hear the word from God because he is harden by sins committed in his life and will not seek forgiveness. In our major cities, in our public schools, in our churches many are found who are hardened b selfishness and pride. These are easy prey for the evil one and are recognized by a tongue that mocks the good or anything sacred. Voltaire is a prime example of such a hard heart.
Of course the second soil that is mentioned is the rocky soil that has some moisture and when the word or seed falls upon it; then the soul experience some refreshment in the truth. There is a resolution to learn more; a hunger tickles the stomach but it lacks the ability to meditate and form conviction. Simple temptations attacked this type of soul and it falls into the habit of the passion that dominates it. Fallen away Catholics are of this sort. They had the greatest faith in this world of ours and they threw it away for some lesser love. You can sniff them out by the words they use “I used to be a Catholic but…I discovered science…I couldn’t find anyone to answer my questions.”
In the third soil described by our Lord we find soil mixed with thorns. This is a large group of souls who hear the word of God and know that it is true. They begin to move forward in life but the concerns of security, pleasures, politics crowd out their love of God and His Word. You know them by the things they surround themselves with. They have the big bank accounts and the small hearts that will not share or contribute to the end of sins like abortion. They own the big homes and get the big jobs but they lack substance in their words and actions.
None of these three soils or persons produce fruit. In Genesis the first command uttered by God is “Be fruitful and multiply.” In other words “imitate God’s divine love which brought you and I into existence. All of us are contingent beings (in other words we do not have the meaning of our existence in ourselves) instead we must be related to a Necessary Being Who is Goodness, Truth, Beauty. The Blessed Trinity is the Necessary God Who created and redeemed us. Souls that recognize this overwhelming truth are good soil and will produce the fruit that will last. You will know them by their convictions. You will know them by the virtue they exhibit. You will know them by the books they read. You will know them by their devotion to our Blessed Mother and the love they have for the Blessed Sacrament.
Dear brothers and sisters, we all possess a character and we require daily and hourly examination of our consciousness of who we are and what we are doing (or saying). We are responsible for constructing our eternal character by meditation upon God’s words and His actions. The more we hold onto and speak the words of Jesus; the deeper the construction of our eternal life increases. A simple prayerful hint that I hope will help you all as it has helped me: open the Scriptures to the Gospels and with rosary in hand pray the beads as you look at a story of Jesus and you will find Our Lady opening the mystery of that word for you. It never fails to follow the pattern of our Lord’s incarnation. “To Jesus,”our traditional patriarchs counsel, “through Mary.”
In the hearts of Jesus, Mary and Joseph,
Fr. Richard Voigt, S.D.B.
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