LIVE IT TODAY: Saturday, September 20, 2025 | Memorial of Saints Andrew Kim Tae-gŏn, Priest, and Paul Chŏng Ha-sang, and Companions, Martyrs
My Word is seed—I plant it in you to take root, grow strong, and bear lasting fruit.
LIVE IT TODAY: Saturday, September 20, 2025 | Memorial of Saints Andrew Kim Tae-gŏn, Priest, and Paul Chŏng Ha-sang, and Companions, Martyrs
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GOD'S DECLARATION TO YOU TODAY
My Word is seed—I plant it in you to take root, grow strong, and bear lasting fruit.
INVOCATION
Come, Holy Spirit! Through the intercession of Our Blessed Mother Mary, open my heart to hear and receive all that You desire for me. Draw me ever more deeply into the Love and Life of the Blessed Trinity!
GOSPEL | 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.”
EVERY DAY QUESTION
What struck you? Challenged you? Inspired you? What questions did it raise?
GOING DEEPER
The Soil of the Heart
The seed is the same in every case—the Word of God, alive and powerful. What makes the difference is not the sower or the seed, but the soil. Jesus’ parable presses us to ask: what kind of soil is my heart?
For His first-century hearers, the imagery would have been vivid. In Palestine, paths cut through fields, rocky patches lay beneath shallow soil, and thorns were common. Everyone knew how easily seed could be wasted. But they also knew the power of good soil. With the right conditions, a single seed could yield far beyond expectation—thirty, sixty, even a hundredfold.
Notice that Jesus doesn’t say some people are destined to be bad soil forever. Soil can change. Hard paths can be broken open. Rocks can be removed. Thorns can be cleared. What matters is whether we let Him cultivate our hearts.
Parents, this parable speaks directly into our homes. We cannot control every storm our children will face, but we can prepare their soil. We till it by prayer, water it by the sacraments, and guard it by truth. At the same time, we must examine our own soil. Do our children see us letting God’s Word take deep root—or do they see us choked by anxieties, shallow in commitment, distracted by pleasures?
The rich soil Jesus describes is marked by two traits: a generous and good heart, and perseverance. This is what family life requires—generosity that gives even when tired, goodness that forgives even when hurt, perseverance that endures through trials. When parents pray over their children by name, asking God to make their hearts rich soil, we cooperate with the divine Gardener.
The seed will bear fruit. The question is whether we are willing to be tilled, watered, and pruned.
“The Word of God is a seed sown in our hearts: it must be received with faith, take root, and bring forth fruit by perseverance” (CCC 2707).
LIFE APPLICATION QUESTIONS
Soil Check: What type of soil best describes my heart right now—hard, rocky, thorny, or rich?
Family Cultivation: How can our family clear away “thorns” of distraction, anxiety, or worldliness so the Word can grow?
Fruitfulness: Where do I see God already bearing fruit in my life, and how can I nurture it with perseverance?
FAMILY LIVE IT
Make some time today to gather together and, going around, each person share one way they want their heart to be “rich soil” for God’s Word this week.
Then pray over each person by name:
“Lord Jesus, You are the divine Sower. Break up the hardness in [Name]’s heart, remove every rock of resistance, and clear every thorn of anxiety or sin. Plant Your Word deep within them, and by Your Spirit, help them persevere and bear abundant fruit.”
DAILY PARENT & GRANDPARENT BLESSING
LORD JESUS CHRIST, let Your holy anointing be upon each of our children, grandchildren, and godchildren this day and week, including all to whom they are called in vocation, and all future generations! In Your Sacred Name we claim them for You! We renounce all whispers, lies, and influences of the Enemy! We pray right now that each know Your loving Presence, be forged in virtue, and be flooded with an abundance of Your Holy Spirit to live fully their identity and mission in You now and through all eternity, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother! Amen.
PARENT BLESSING PROJECT: bit.ly/ParentBlessing
GOING VERTICAL
“Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10
Just as the vertical beam upholds the horizontal beam of the Cross, so too does undistracted, dedicated daily turning to God as our lifeblood uphold and strengthen every part of life. Start with just three minutes. Wait patiently for the breakthrough beyond the noise. Let Him speak.
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