Пятница

(Rom. 16:1–16; Matt. 13:4–9) The parable of the sower depicts the different attitudes of souls to the word of God. In first place are those who do not heed the word at all. They hear, but what they hear does not enter the soul, but lies on top of it, like a seed along the road. The word does not fit into them, because they have a different way of thinking, different rules, different tastes. That is why it soon disappears from memory, is forgotten, as if it had never been heard at all. On the second are those who hear the word willingly and accept it quickly, but do not want to bear any labor to fulfill it. Therefore, as long as no sacrifice is required, they delight in the word and especially its promises, but as soon as it becomes necessary to sacrifice something to be faithful to the word, they betray it, abandon both the word and its promises for the sake of their affections. In the third are those who accept the word and begin to live according to it, but then become too devoted to the worries and sorrows of the age, to earthly cares, which suppress all the good undertakings that were formed under the influence of the word of God. On the fourth are those who accept the word with full faith and decide to live according to its demands, willingly making all sacrifices and labors and not allowing their hearts to be connected with anything earthly. Sit down and judge, everyone, to which class you belong. You might be interested in: