By Praveen Bandula csc –
Readings: Is 55: 10-11; Rom 8: 18-23; Mt 13: 1-23
The labour we do and the fruit we get depend on our commitment. If a person wants success, he/she trains and moulds himself worthy of success. Nobody becomes successful without efforts and learning from failures.
In his letter to the Romans, St. Paul writes that ‘the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us.’
A farmer who wants to sow seeds in his field, prepares the land to be fertile. No land is fertile by itself and it may have stones and thorns in it. The farmer takes trouble to clear the land and softens it by pouring water for ploughing. After preparation, he sows the seeds, and sometimes has to face problems like infestation of weeds and worms which can destroy the crop.
Despite these difficulties, the farmer does not give up on his crop. The word of God is sown into us every day. A believer who prepares himself/herself as a worthy receiver, clears his/her heart from anger, pride, and jealousy from his life.
Even after making his/her heart pure and fertile to nurture the faith, there comes temptations and trials testing the faith. If heart, mind, and soul of a believer are filled with God’s love, he/she will never give up his/her faith and will fight against limitations and temptations.
So my dear friends, mother church is inviting all of us through the liturgy of the day to be a good believer to strengthen our faith and to make it fruitful by nurturing it every day with the word of God.