Our Hearts Define Us

𝐉𝐀𝐍. 𝟐𝟖, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔: 𝐅𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐒𝐓. 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐌𝐀𝐒 𝐀𝐂𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐒, 𝐁𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐩 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐃𝐨𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈: 𝟐 𝐒𝐚𝐦 𝟕:𝟒-𝟏𝟕

𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐦: 𝐏𝐬𝐚 𝟖𝟗:𝟒-𝟓, 𝟐𝟕-𝟑𝟎 “𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐈 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐭.”

𝐆𝐎𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐋: 𝐌𝐤 𝟒:𝟏-𝟐𝟎

𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝: “𝐖𝐡𝐨𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫.” (𝐯.𝟗) 

         As we step deeper into the exercise of our faith in this Ordinary Time in our liturgical calendar, let us ponder for a moment what every believer who reads the Scriptures regularly will do at some point in time. Most likely we will choose a favorite verse that may have struck us or had an impact in our spiritual growth.

        For all intents and purposes, the Ordinary Time is a time for us to put into practice what we have heard and learned during the liturgical seasons that were intended to deepen our faith in the Almighty God.

         And for those who have committed their lives to discipleship it is only natural that they too must carry with them their favorite Bible verses that they can share with anyone to whom they are led to bring the Word of God as this is part of our calling.

         I still have vivid memories of my spiritual growth in the community where Our Lord Jesus Christ revealed himself to me in a personal way. I went through the intensive formation program offered by the community, but I struggled in my faith walk with the Scriptures even when I was already facilitating the Basic Bible Seminar.

         My eyes were opened to the beauty of the Sacred Scriptures when I attended the Joy of Discovery, and it brought me to a new dimension in my attachment to the Bible. From a mere reader, I became a discoverer and the Bible became not just a book but a vessel through which we come to enter the very heart of God (Jn 5:39).

         To many of us Jn 3:16 has become the most favored passage in the Scriptures since this is probably the most often quoted passage in the Bible. The Gospel of today, however, is one of my favorite not only because it spells out the kind of soil that we need to be but it also reinforces my belief on the divinity of man especially if we are to turn ourselves into the fertile soil on which the Word of God will take a root.

         This passage also marks a change in the ministry of Christ. Where before He used to speak in the synagogues, now we find Him teaching on the seashore. There was a reason for it because of the opposition of the religious rulers at the time to the teachings of Christ and Jesus knew that there would come a time when He will no longer be welcome in the synagogues.

         In this chapter, Jesus has also started to fully utilize his own method which was to teach using parables. Again, there was a reason why Jesus chose to evangelize using this method. By using parables, Jesus is giving his listeners the prerogative to discover the truth for himself.

         This shows the character of Jesus as he does not impose his Will nor his teachings on anyone, but his teaching style was what moved his listeners to search for the veracity and authenticity of the words that come out of the mouth of Jesus.

         We all are familiar with this Parable of the Sower, but Jesus told this parable on the different kinds of soil because the Jews are familiar with it, so Jesus knew that his listeners would understand what he was saying even if he spoke in parables.

         During his time, sowing a field was normally done by scattering the seeds and when the strong winds blow it was only natural that some of the seeds would be blown away and land on either the footpath, shallow soil and on the soil where there are thorns and thistles.

         The Jews knew what Jesus was referring to because the fields at that time were long narrow strips of soil and in between are the footpaths that are as hard as the pavement. The stony ground is a patch of land where underneath lies rows upon rows of limestone rock. The thorny ground refers to the soil that was tilled and which may look clean, but which only hides the thorny bushes that thrive on the field after harvest.

         Certainly, no seed of any kind will thrive in these types of soil and Jesus used this metaphor to provide his listeners a platform through which they can easily understand what He is saying. His emphasis naturally was on the good ground that was soft where the seed can take root and germinate and where it will grow without being choked.

         But what this Gospel also shows us is how we are to respond to the Word of God when it is spoken to us and there shouldn’t be any doubt nor question about the need for the Word to take root in us.

         Should a believer face difficulty keeping and obeying what he hears, all he has to do is reflect on what John’s Gospel says about the Word making its dwelling in us (Jn 1:14). The same Word which was described in John as “the Word was God.” (Jn 1:1).

         Thus, if we are to use these verses to establish a connection, the same Word that was with God and, the Word was God and the Word that became flesh and made his dwelling among us establishes our own divine nature. That we were all created in the “image and likeness of God” (Gen 1:26) should propel us to an understanding that we have no choice but to become the good soil that God has created us to be.

         What to me are the key verses in this Gospel passage are 𝐯𝐯.𝟗, 𝟏𝟑-𝟐𝟎 because it is in these verses that Jesus really laid down the condition in the way we are to receive His Word. What He said was that we all must remain open to His Word because His Kingdom can only be understood by those who have experienced a personal encounter with Him.

         Take for example our lives in the church and or community. How often do we hear discussions on matters pertaining to disinterest among members, diminishing levels of commitment to service, dwindling attendance, uninspiring worship, lack of leadership skills, deficient spirituality and, lack of integrity. Most of the time, leaders will tend to look at structural defects and to some extent even the effectiveness of the formation programs.

         The Church hierarchy recognizes what ails the post-modern church, but the Synodal Assembly also said it is not about starting again, but entering into the long path of proclaiming the Gospel with the apostolic courage of Paul who would go so far as to say: “Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel!” (1 Cor 9:16).

        Throughout history, from the first centuries of the Christian era to the present, the Gospel has edified communities of believers in all parts of the world. Whether small or great, these are the fruit of the dedication of generations of witnesses to Jesus – missionaries and martyrs – whom we remember with gratitude.

         It also said that changing societies and cultures call us to something new: to live our communitarian experience of faith in a renewed way and to proclaim it through an evangelization that is “new in its ardor, in its methods, in its expressions.” (John Paul II).

At the Synod, it was agreed that: “We need not invent new strategies as if the Gospel were a product to be placed in the market of religions. We need to rediscover the ways in which Jesus approached persons and called them, to put them into practice in today's circumstances.”

         And during the Synod, missionary issues took center stage rather than structural Church reforms and Archbishop Pierre-Marie Carre of the Southern French city of Montpellier, who was the synod’s special secretary, insisted that: “Structural changes were not needed. Believers can bring about change through their faith, a well-structured faith.”

         As we go through life, we sometimes gain and we also lose what we have and possess. What Jesus wants us to understand in today’s Gospel reading is that we can only gain the joy and beauty of His Kingdom if we will remain in Him because the eternal salvation that He promised is available only to those who will deny himself, take up his cross and, follow Him.

        This is what becoming a good and fertile ground means. To become a good ground is to become a community of disciples inspired by the Holy Spirit to become living witnesses for transformation in Christ to bring about a world of justice, human development and true peace. In the end, what is in our hearts will define who we truly are. (𝘌𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘺 - 𝘑𝘢𝘯. 28, 2026)