We usually interpret the Parable of the Seed and the Sower in terms of how different people respond to the word of God, the “seed” in the story. The different types of ground are people who receive the word.
I suggest we look at the parable in relation to how we go to Mass.
Are you like the footpath or hard ground? You go to Mass because it is an obligation of a baptized Catholic. You go to Sunday Mass but it has no effect in your life.
Are you like the rocky soil? You feel Mass recharges you and helps you when problems and challenges come. But when real serious trouble comes, you give up easily.
If you are the ground with the thistles, you are grateful for benefits received but you are overwhelmed in your practice of your Christian faith by your daily worries and problems, endless desires and monetary concerns.
If you are the good soil, your Sunday Mass is a treasured moment of your week, a blessing which animates your personal, family and professional life, a time to review and be grateful for the past week and to prepare for and be productive for the coming week. It is a blessing for you to be shared with family and friends.
What does Sunday Mass mean to me? How do I prepare for it? What do I get out of it? What does this community Sunday worship mean to me?
