Humbly submit your will to God (Thy Will be done) and consecrate yourself to Jesus through Mary.

When a large crowd gathered, with people from one town after another
journeying to Jesus, he spoke in a parable. 
“A sower went out to sow his seed.
And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path and was trampled,
and the birds of the sky ate it up.
Some seed fell on rocky ground, and when it grew,
it withered for lack of moisture.
Some seed fell among thorns,
and the thorns grew with it and choked it.
And some seed fell on good soil, and when it grew,
it produced fruit a hundredfold.”
After saying this, he called out,
“Whoever has ears to hear ought to hear.”

Then his disciples asked him
what the meaning of this parable might be.
He answered,
“Knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of God
has been granted to you;
but to the rest, they are made known through parables
so that they may look but not see, and hear but not understand.

“This is the meaning of the parable. 
The seed is the word of God.
Those on the path are the ones who have heard,
but the Devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts
that they may not believe and be saved.
Those on rocky ground are the ones who, when they hear,
receive the word with joy, but they have no root;
they believe only for a time and fall away in time of temptation.
As for the seed that fell among thorns,
they are the ones who have heard, but as they go along,
they are choked by the anxieties and riches and pleasures of life, 
and they fail to produce mature fruit.
But as for the seed that fell on rich soil,
they are the ones who, when they have heard the word,
embrace it with a generous and good heart,
and bear fruit through perseverance.”  LK 8:4-15

Today, Jesus teaches us the power of two things.  The Word of God and our power to choose (free will given to us by God; a spiritual power greater than any superheroes power).  It seems simple.  I need to read the Word of God and then live it.  Jesus warns us today that there are many obstacles to reading the Good News and living it.  First, we must be humble, recognizing who God is and who we are in relation to Him.  Second, we must be willing to deny ourselves.  We have a fallen human nature (a warped view) and the Devil’s lies/temptations daily holding us back.  Third, there is a big difference between listening and hearing.  Hearing is a bunch of noise which goes in one ear and out the other, listening is hearing and doing something with what you have learned and changing.  We must read and reflect on how we can apply the Word in our daily lives.  We must search out what we do not understand.  We must ask the Holy Spirit to guide us as we read and reflect.  Most importantly, we must desire heaven or holiness.  God has put that in every heart, but we often run from it because we think it is too hard or we don’t want to change.  Then we stop reading the Word, get off the narrow path, and find ourselves a great distance from God.  God has given us the road map to heaven out of His love and mercy for us.  Love requires a response, it is not indifferent.  Today, “embrace it with a generous and good heart, and bear fruit through perseverance.”

Today’s challenge: Read a book about a saint, you will never regret learning about someone who listened to the Word of God, embraced it with a generous and good heart through perseverance.

Be a servant, become a saint!
212-boiling point, not 211, get off the fence and be all in for Christ!