In today’s Gospel proclamation, Jesus tells the parable of the four soils. In 2010 when my mentor spoke about this parable to me, I had no clue what he was trying to convey to me. But it had rooted within me without my knowledge. This parable has also been the foundation of my faith. Human ears hear many sounds, but there is a deeper kind of listening that results in spiritual understanding. When speaking in parables, Jesus was not hid- ing the truth from sincere seekers, because those who were receptive to spiritual truth understood the illustrations. To others, they were only stories without meaning. Let us not be discouraged if we do not always see results as we faithfully read the Word. Belief cannot be forced to follow a mathematical formula. Rather, it is a miracle of God’s Holy Spirit using our words to produce faith in Christ. I have been guiding a few of my staff on sharing the Gospel, and this parable has helped me to identify the characters and pitch the message accordingly.

Prayer: Abba Father, I pray that you make us good soil so that we will harvest a great crop and follow your path. Amen.