Through Perseverance
Saturday of the Twenty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time
Read this Gospel passage aloud to the family
Luke 8:4-15 - 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.”
(Parent) Reread this part a few times aloud
“But as for the seed that fell on rich soil, they…when they have heard the word, embrace it with a generous and good heart, and bear fruit through perseverance.”
(Parent) Read this meditation aloud to the family
We are very familiar with the “Parable of the Four Soils,” as it is often called. God, the sower, goes out and sows the seed—His word—everywhere for all people. If the seed fails to grow, the problem is not with the sower or the seed, but with the soil. Our lives are the soil. They need to be taken care of to be made ready to welcome the word of God. Jesus asks us to be ready for the word of God. Those who are ready are like the “rich soil.” There are two ways Jesus mentions, here in the Gospel of Luke, to prepare ourselves to welcome the word of God. The first is to have hearts that are “generous and good.” A generous heart is one that isn’t self-centered. It is willing to give God everything without setting limits. The second way to prepare for God’s word is to persevere. Perseverance is not a popular concept because it requires that despite hard work, struggles, and even suffering, we keep going. But this is a necessary part of the Christian life—to keep at it even when we don’t feel like it. In prayer, consider what limits we put on our faith life. Are we generous towards God, and willing to persevere through struggle?
As a family, pray a portion of the Rosary together (very short if children are young) reflecting on the Scripture passage above. (Optional: allow a brief time for discussion or questions from children concerning their thoughts and prayer.)
Reminder for Parents: Pier is just meant to be a jumping off point. The real goal is that you pray & eventually use the fruits of your personal prayer as the content of your family’s prayer. Duc in altum.
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