Prayer:
Jesus, plant the powerful seed of your Kingdom in my heart.
Imagination:
Picture Jesus preaching to the crowds.
Context:
This parable contrasts the difficult beginning of the Kingdom and its glorious fulfillment. The beginning has multiple frustrations. The end has a gigantic harvest.
Jesus’ ministry is experiencing many obstacles. The disciples see failures, desertions and hostility. Jesus, however, sees that God’s work is doing quite well.
Gospel Text: (Read slowly, possibly aloud.)
A farmer went out to plant seeds. Some seed fell by the wayside and the birds of the air ate it. Some seed fell on rocky ground and grew quickly because the soil was not deep. When the sun rose, it was scorched for lack of roots. Some fell among thorns. The thorns grew and choked it and it did not yield grain. Some fell upon good ground and brought forth abundant fruit that yielded thirty, sixty or a hundred fold. He who has ears, let him hear.
Thoughts: (Read all. Ponder the ones that attract you.)
- God scatters these abundant seeds of his power in your heart.
- Some seeds you miss entirely. These invitations fall “by the wayside.”
- Other seeds you resist by the hardness of your heart. They do not take root.
- You mix some seeds with your other worldly concerns. Unfortunately, these never produce any worthwhile fruit.
- But some seeds you receive without compromise. You give them fertile soil. They produce abundant fruit and you rejoice.
Affections: (When one touches your heart, use your own words.)
- Lord, sow the seeds of your kingdom and of eternal life in my heart.
- O God, I see those times when I was not receptive to your Kingdom.
- Jesus, why did I resist your kingdom? Why was my heart like rocky ground?
- O Lord, when I mix your seeds with my human desires, they bring forth no fruit.
- Jesus, my life can still be glorious. There is still time for an abundant harvest.
Resolutions: (Possibly you might want to make your own.)
+ I will believe that the seeds of God’s Kingdom are abundant and powerful within me.
+ I will clear the soil, so the seeds can grow.
Thought for the Day: (To recall your meditation.)
The harvest was thirty, sixty and a hundredfold.