On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd stood along the shore. And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying:

"A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep, and when the sun rose it was scorched, and it withered for lack of roots.

Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it. But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirty-fold. Whoever has ears ought to hear."

The disciples approached him and said, "Why do you speak to them in parables?" He said to them in reply, "Because knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted. To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away.

This is why I speak to them in parables, because they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand. Isaiah's prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says:

You shall indeed hear but not understand; you shall indeed look but never see. Gross is the heart of this people, they will hardly hear with their ears, they have closed their eyes, lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their hearts and be converted, and I heal them.

"But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear. Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

"Hear then the parable of the sower. The seed sown on the path is the one who hears the word of the kingdom without understanding it, and the evil one comes and steals away what was sown in his heart. The seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word and receives it at once with joy. But he has no root and lasts only for a time. When some tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, he immediately falls away. The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word, but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word and it bears no fruit. But the seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirty-fold."

Introductory Prayer: Heavenly Father, from all eternity you loved me and gave me a place and a share in your divine life. At the same time, you gave me a uniqueness of my own, a mission to accomplish, a contribution that only I can make to your Mystical Body. Father, you have given me dignity of making me your child in Baptism, I know this through faith. I hope and trust in your grace to understand my mission and to live it responsibly. Above all, I want to live my mission as the most perfect way of showing my love for You.

Petition: Lord, grant me the grace to know and accomplish whatever it is that you ask of me.

1. Mission-Seed. Imagine the souls flocking to Jesus. They are driven by a supernatural instinct in the very core of their souls. It is the same with me. My soul experienced its creation by God. It thirsts for union with the unchanging, immutable fullness of life; Gods life. Every soul made in the image and likeness of God is pulled or drawn by Gods love to reach maturity in the Mystical Body. It is like a seed programmed to develop into fullness. It has a purpose. It is not only for itself. It is to produce fruit of a specific kind according to the needs of the Mystical Body to which it pertains.

What is my mission? How do I find out what it is? How do I accomplish it? These are very important questions that must be answered and acted upon in order to have the fullness of life that my soul yearns for. These are also important questions to answer in order to bear fruit or accomplish my particular mission.

In His parable, Jesus makes it clear that good soil is necessary in order to make the seed grow and reach maturity or accomplish its purpose. It must be buried deep in this nutritious soil in order to overcome the forces of evil that will attempt to destroy it: The devil who clouds the understanding and deadens the soul, the trials and tribulations that oppress the soul from without and from within, attraction to worldly pleasures and riches, self-centeredness All this must be overcome in order to accomplish my mission. So what is this nutritious soil? How do I bury myself in it?

2. Prayer-Soil for the Seed. Prayer is one of the essential ingredients of good soil for the soul. Without it the soul is not able to discover its purpose or bear fruit. Every soul is created with free will and God respects that liberty absolutely. At the same time he gives each soul a mission to accomplish that will bring it plenitude and happiness. Completion of its mission will also produce abundant fruit for the Mystical Body to which it belongs.

When there is little or no prayer in the life of a soul, it means that it has other priorities that it values more than God and His Will. It will be impossible for the soul to have understanding without this communion and dialogue. The devil is able to steal away what was sown on the footpath of the world.

On the other hand, when amidst its daily occupations a soul makes God a priority, it is richly rewarded and receives light and understanding. This means setting aside key moments for dialogue and not just taking advantage of spare time that cant be used any other way. It also means setting aside priority time on a daily and constant basis, not letting new situations, vacations, changes of schedules, etc., interrupt what becomes an intimate friendship and communion with God. Only then is the soul being nourished in fertile soil.

3. Sacrament-Soil for the Seed. The second essential element of good soil is the souls immersion in sacramental life. Sacramental life puts the soul in direct contact with Christ himself. The sacraments are a constant source of renewal and provide graces that fortify, feed and transform the soul. If we neglect this aspect of the spiritual life the consequences will not delay in coming. In fact, without this necessary element in the soil, the seed cannot hope to reach the maturity and perfection it is called to. At best it is reduced to a weak form of supernatural life and normally, without some special intervention from God, it will risk spiritual disaster. We should try to go beyond the bare minimum the Church asks of us, and make it an expression of our love.

Without the life of sacraments and the intimate contact with Christ they bring, the soul cannot withstand the tribulations and persecutions that arise on account of the Word sown in its heart. On the other hand, a fervent sacramental life makes the joy produced at the first hearing of the Word continue to grow and the soul experiences the meaning of the words: My yoke is easy, my burden light

The soul truly desirous of perfection will make frequent reception of the Eucharist and Reconciliation its mainstay and the life-giving nutrient of its soil.

4. Action-Soil for the Seed. Finally, the third essential element of good soil is the souls exterior manifestations in the visible world. Since the soul is not for itself only, it must be an example of the Divine Model to others. This evangelizing factor is not only important for the world but also for the soul producing it. The souls effort to manifest externally its internal union with God will strengthen and solidify the theological virtues of faith, hope and love needed to keep the soils nutrient level high. As the soul exercises the theological virtues in the material world around it, it receives understanding. The soul sees the transcendental value of created things and is strengthened against the temptations of avarice, power and worldly desires. At the same time the works of the soul in the world give testimony to the Divine Presence and the real value of created things in time and eternity.

Conversation: Mary, my Mother, teach me to pray constantly and not according to my feelings and emotional states. Help me to make dialogue with my Creator a key part of each day in my pilgrimage through time.

Plant my soul in the rich soil of your contemplative heart. There I will be nourished and protected in an atmosphere of serene and peaceful dialogue with God my Father. There I will be able to discover and understand the unique mission that I have in time and eternity. There I will grow, work and bear abundant fruit according to Gods Will. Dear Mother of Christ, you understand how much my soul needs your Sons healing and transforming presence in the sacraments. In them He gives himself as nourishing soil for my soul. Fill my heart with a great appreciation and love for the sacraments. May they strengthen me so that I find only consolation in suffering tribulations and persecutions for the Word planted in my heart. Mother of Good Works, I know that actions speak louder than words but often I remain only with my good intentions.

Help me to move forward in my mission with true resolve. Help me to exteriorize the Divine Life in my soul with the acts and works needed to accomplish my mission each day.

Questionnaire:

1. How do I respond to the reality that I have a unique and irrevocable mission give by God? And that my complete happiness depends on accomplishing that mission?

2. What is my prayer-life like?

3. What value do I give to receiving the Sacraments regularly?