From Our Pastor

The Parable of the Sower
November 11, 2018

“An enemy hath done this.” Matt 13:28

The parable today is of the man who sows good seed in a well-prepared field that ends up with weeds choking out the crop. The master knows that an enemy has done this. When we reflect back on our lives and recall the good resolutions, confessions, Holy Communions, the good works we started and the like, and we see where we are now spiritually, we might be somewhat grieved at what we see. The soil was well prepared, but we may be no farther ahead spiritually. We may even have slid backwards! What has become of all our good endeavors? We say a few short prayers every day with little attention and devotion but plenty of distractions. We think of ourselves, our selfishness, lack of charity and our sins and we begin to get overwhelmed. “An enemy hath done this.”

The enemy’s work is craftily and cunningly woven into our work, destroying much of the merit. Our fallen nature leaves us prone to such influences, though we are still responsible for our negligence, even if the enemy has been hard at work deceiving us. Through it all, our Lord knows our plight and judges us leniently. His mercy makes that excuse for our sins when time after time we return to confession with the same sins. “Forgive them Lord, for they know not what they do.” Our Lord knows we are no match for the wiles of the devil and that the devil never sleeps.

But though it is a plea for pardon that we have such an enemy, it is still no excuse for carelessness and continuing in sin. We know we have enemies for our soul and so we are bound to keep watch to avoid the snares. We also have our Lord Who watches out for us and Who has given us His mother, sent us a guardian angel and established a Church to help guide us. They are all working 24/7 to protect us also. We must be vigilant and make use of the helps that God has given us, so we can persevere in prayer and sacrifice and though an enemy has sown bad thoughts in us, we can count on God’s grace to help us survive and grow in holiness through it all. 

Rev. Charles Van Vliet, FSSP
Pastor, Regina Caeli Parish