And when it happened that he was alone, those around him, with the Twelve, would ask him about the parables.
And he said to them,
‘To you has been given the secret of the Kingdom of God.
But to those outside everything is in parables, so that
Those who look look and do not see.
And those who hear hear and do not understand,
Lest they will turn to God and be forgiven. (Isa 6:9-10)
He said to them:
Do you not know this parable, and how will you know all the parables?
A sower sows the word.
These the ones by the road:
where the word is sown, and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them.
And these are the ones which were sown on the rocky ground:
these when they heard the word immediately received it with joy
And they had no root in themselves but they were not lasting
Then when troubles arose or persecution -because of the word,
immediately they are falling.
And others are those sown in amongst the thorn bushes.
These are the ones who hear the word
and cares of the age
and deception of riches
and those desires for other things come in and choke the word
and there will no fruit.
And these are those who are sown upon the good soil, t
hose who hear the word and receive it and bear fruit
One thirty times, and
one sixty times and
one a hundred times.
Teach us, good Lord,
to serve thee as thou deservest;
to give and not to count the cost;
to fight and not to heed the wounds;
to toil and not to seek for rest;
to labour and not to ask for any reward,
save that of knowing that we do thy will,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
St Ignatius