BY FR. BEL R. SAN LUIS, SVD
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A PROFESSOR in a college English class said to his students, “If you will just take a new word and use it 100 times, it will be yours forever.” Whereupon, a young woman in the class looked dreamily out of the window and sighed, “Piolo, Piolo, Piolo,…”
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Jesus’ parables have been told and retold so that his teachings “will be yours forever” – but, mind you, not to win a partner! One such parable is that of the Sower.
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In the parable, Jesus is the sower; the seed, the word of God, or his teachings. The soil symbolizes the various types of people who hear and give responses to his word.
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The people who received the seed on the WAYSIDE refer to those who allow the devil to take the word of God out of their hearts. For instance, they give in to the thought that they can do evil acts as long as they don’t get caught.
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Those who received the seed on ROCKY ground refers to those who welcome it with great joy and enthusiasm. But having no depth, they fizzle out – a case of “ningas cogon” or BSDU (Balik Sa Dating Ugali).
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The THORNY soil refers to people who hear the word of God but the cares, worries, and pleasures of the world choke the sprouting seedling.
These refer to people who are so busy and preoccupied with work and recreation, forgetting their prayer life and Mass going.
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Finally, there is the GOOD soil. It symbolizes those who’re receptive to God’s word and respond by applying it in daily life. For instance, there was a teenager in the family who didn’t go to Sunday Mass. The parents, however, continued doing their Sunday obligation. Seeing their example, the son eventually learned the value of the Mass and started going.
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A “fertile soil” also means bearing good works like compassion toward the unfortunate especially in times like COVID-19 pandemic; help toward the weak; forgiveness toward the penitent, honesty in business, fairness in work.
ASK YOURSELF: What kind of soil am I – the wayside, the rocky, the thorny, or the fertile? God wants us to be the fertile and productive soil.
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LAUGH ONE ANOTHER. During this hard time of COVID-19 pandemic and long lockdown when people are financially hard up, they suffer from distress and quarrels which sometimes ending in domestic violence. Instead of resorting to shouting and verbal abuse, a couple agreed to write poems to each other instead, thus:
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WIFE: I wrote your name on sand it got washed. I wrote your name in air, it was blown away. Then I wrote your name on my heart and I got Heart Attack.
HUSBAND: God saw me hungry, He created pizza. He saw me thirsty, He created Pepsi. He saw me without problems, He gave YOU to me.
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WIFE: Twinkle, twinkle little star, you should know what you are. And once you know what you are. Mental Hospital is not so far.
HUSBAND: The rain makes all things beautiful; the grass and flowers too. If rain makes all things beautiful, why doesn’t it rain on you?
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WIFE: Roses are red; Violets are blue. Monkeys like you should be kept in the zoo.
HUSBAND: Don’t feel so angry; you will find me there, too. Not in cage but laughing at you!
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MAGNETIC ROSARY BRACELETS. Please buy our magnetic rosary bracelets. The proceeds will go to our seminarians and COVID-19 indigents’ funds. A magnetic rosary bracelet is not only a religious article but also therapeutic. It helps improve the circulation of the blood and boosts our immune-system.
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For inquiry how to order, e-mail me at: [email protected].
