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The Reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. Luke. (8:5-15)
The God who created the whole universe loves us. He loves us so much that He sent His only begotten Son to us, to live among us, to speak with us, to teach us, to suffer with us and to die with us. This son and Lord Jesus Christ often taught us in stories or parables. These parables are not given to entertain the people. They are not given to make the people fearful. They are given to us out of love for us. Our Lord is trying to reach each of us. The parables that were spoken 2000 years ago are not meant to sit in a book unread, gathering dust on your shelves. The word of the Lord is meant to enter deep into your hearts to bring you back to life. Glory to God for sharing His love with us through these beautiful words.
Today we hear the familiar story of the sower who went out to sow his seed. He is a good farmer. He casts the seed everywhere. He desires that everyone should have this seed and that this seed should one day bear fruit. He is a good farmer. His seed is also good. But there is one more component to the equation. What makes the difference between whether the seed will bear fruit or fail to produce? The difference boils down to the quality of the soil. And that is where each of us comes in. The Lord in speaking this parable reminds us that we have a part to play in our own salvation. St. Paul writes about this in Philippians 2:12 when he says “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” St. Paul would never say such a thing if your salvation was guaranteed. Why would he write such things to a Christian community unless he knew that they needed to hear and be reminded of it?
The meaning is reinforced in this parable of our Lord Jesus Christ. He speaks of the seed that fell on rocky ground. This rocky ground is a symbol of those who receive the word with joy and believe for a short while but then in times of temptation and trouble, they fall away because they have no roots. Most of us who are here in this room will not fall into the category of the first soil that is mentioned, the seed that fell among the path. Because we have believe and we are here. So it leaves us with only three possibilities, either the soil of our hearts is rocky, or covered in thorns or it is good soil that is able to bring forth fruitfully.
What can we as Christians do to prepare the soil of our hearts to receive the seed, to receive the word of God? And what is the word of God? Some think the word of God is a reference to the Bible. But in actuality the word of God is really a reference to Jesus Christ Himself. He is the word.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men….He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own peoplec did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
So it’s clear that Jesus is the word. And what must I do to prepare the soil of my heart to receive Him fully? What does a farmer do? In the beginning he tills the soil. He breaks up the clumps and the hard earth. Likewise, we do this through our own repentance. We take time daily to reflect and ask God to forgive us of all our sins. When we really do this we make the soil soft and ready to receive the word. Those of you that are Orthodox Christians should make plans to come to confession every so often. His Eminence Metropolitan Saba asks that we confess about 2-4 times a year. It’s not much but it is the difference between thriving spiritual life and just going through the motions. The sins you are covering and failing to confess, are the sins that are your master and they keep you from growing deeper roots in Christ. Confession is a bit painful. It brings up our shame. But confession releases us from the bondage of the shame and the courageous act of humility breaks open the heart so that the grace of the Holy Spirit can enter and effect powerful change within us. This is how we break up the hardened soil of the heart. This allows the Word of God to dwell deeply within us.
So we’ve spoken briefly of repentance, confession. Let’s continue talking about how we nourish the soil of our hearts with the sacrament of Eucharist or Holy Communion. For an Orthodox Christian, one of the ultimate spiritual weapons in our warfare is Holy Communion. We believe that the Holy Spirit transforms the offering of bread and wine into something much more. Into the very body and blood of Jesus Christ. The bread and wine continue to have the properties of bread and wine. Yet the are changed in a spiritual manner into the mystical body and blood of Christ. When all else fails as a Christian, the sacrament of the eucharist won’t fail us if we approach with a humble and faithful heart.
Listen to the words of St. Cyril of Alexandria,
“If the poison of pride is swelling up in you, turn to the Eucharist; and that Bread, Which is your God humbling and disguising Himself, will teach you humility. If the fever of selfish greed rages in you, feed on this Bread; and you will learn generosity. If the cold wind of coveting withers you, hasten to the Bread of Angels; and charity will come to blossom in your heart. If you feel the itch of intemperance, nourish yourself with the Flesh and Blood of Christ, Who practiced heroic self-control during His earthly life; and you will become temperate. If you are lazy and sluggish about spiritual things, strengthen yourself with this heavenly Food; and you will grow fervent. Lastly, if you feel scorched by the fever of impurity, go to the banquet of the Angels; and the spotless Flesh of Christ will make you pure and chaste.”
In essence, St. Cyril says that the sacrament will give you whatever you are lacking in your spiritual struggle. So don’t neglect this part of your walk with Christ.
This my friends, is our path if we want the Lord to consider that we are good rather than bad soil. This is our path if we want to find a place to keep the word of God in our hearts. This is our path if we want to travel the narrow path that leads to life everlasting. AMEN.
