YEAR A: HOMILY FOR WEDNESDAY OF THE 3RD WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
HOMILY THEME: THE PARABLE OF THE FOUR SOILS…..” What the sower is sowing is the word”
BY: Fr. Antoni CAROL i Hostench
HOMILY: Today, we hear our Lord teaching the “Sower’s parable”. The example is highly topical. Our Lord is always “sowing”. Lots of people today also listen to Jesus through his Vicar —the Pope—, his ministers and… his faithful laymen and women: Christ has given a share in his priestly mission to all of us, who have been baptized.
There is “hunger” for Jesus. Never ever before our Church has been so Catholic, men and women of all races and colors finding cover under its wings all the over the world. He send us all over the world (cf. Mk 16:15) and, despite the shadows of the panorama, this has become true in Jesus Christ’s apostolic commandment. The sea, the boat and the shore have been replaced by stadiums, screens and modern communication and transport means. However, Jesus today is no different than yesterday. Man and his urge to learn how to love have not changed either. Today, there are also some who, more directly, receive and understand the Word — by grace and free divine election, mysteriously… while, on the other hand, there are many who need more descriptive and deliberated explanations of the Revelation.
God, in any case, requests from both of us the fruits of sanctity. The Holy Spirit helps us but not without our personal cooperation. In the first place, diligence is needed. If we half react, that is, if we halt at the “border” of the road without fully going in, we shall be an easy prey for Satan. Secondly, we need perseverance in prayer — dialogue—, to be able to get a deeper knowledge and love for Jesus Christ: «Saint without praying…? —I do not believe in this sanctity» (Saint Josemaria Escrivà).
Finally, the spirit of poverty and self-abnegation, will prevent our “suffocating” on the way. It better be clear that: «No one can serve two masters….» (Mt 6:24).
In the Virgin Mary we can find the best model of how to react to the God’s call.
Fr. Antoni CAROL i Hostench (Sant Cugat del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain)
