"Whoever has ears ought to hear." - Matthew 13:9

Today’s Gospel reading speaks about the Parable of the Sower. The seeds were sown in different places with different environments. Some sown on the pathway, some on the rocky ground, some among thorns, and some on rich soil. We, the children of God, are represented by the seeds. The ones that are sown on the pathway are the people who hear the Word of God but do not understand what it means. Meanwhile, the seeds that are sown on the rocky ground are the people who receive God’s Word and enjoy it, but they lack commitment so their happiness does not last. The seeds which are sown among thorns are the ones that are choked and distracted by earthly possessions or whatever disturbances there are in life. On the other hand, the seeds that are sown in rich soil are the ones who hear the Word – understands it, and makes it fruitful.

With our ever-changing world, sometimes (if not most of the time), we find it difficult to make time for God. In the current situation that I am in, I can honestly say that I am currently one of the seeds that were sown among the thorns. Earthly possessions – gadgets, mga laag, academics, are some of the things that I am distracted or busy with. I’ll be honest. Almost every silent moment or alone time that I have will result to me using my phone. I also grab every opportunity that I have to go out with friends. Laag dito, laag doon, laag kahapon, laag ngayon, laag nanaman bukas. And with regard to academics, hindi ko alam kung bumababa ang performance ko or kung grabe lang talaga ang demands ng school and ng teachers. With these, I can say that it is difficult to make time for the Lord. Yes, it is difficult, but not impossible. Mahirap, pero kaya. Busy masyado sa school or sa personal life during weekdays so sometimes I find myself saying, “Hindi siguro ako maka-YE this Saturday kasi – may project gawin, may kailangan puntahan, may laag, or pagod masyado kaya mag rest muna.” But I always find myself going here every Saturday to be with the ministry, and to be with the Lord.

Yes, everything we do must be balanced. But it is not really balanced if we forget to give time for our God. As Christians we are not to manage our time the same way the world manages theirs. We are to organize our time and plan wisely for the future. We must make sure that we seek God in everything that we do. We are to take care of the most important tasks first and on top of everything is God. We should pray for God to remove procrastination and idleness from our lives so that we can continue to do well in His great world. And we should never forget to seek to do God’s will daily. We should not forget that in everything good that we do, should be for His greater glory. Ad Majorem dei Gloriam.

Now, maybe most if not all of us here have realized what type of seed are we and where we are sown. But it does not mean that we will stay there forever. Each one of us can change and we can change for the better so that we can be the seeds who are sown in rich soil.

-Reggie Jaleco