Hello everyone! Heyo! Welcome back to Scattering Flowers with Elise and Miles, a podcast where you read the daily Gospels and the Saint of the Day.
Let’s get started! Today is Wednesday, January 28th, and the Gospel reading is Mark 4, 1-20, and the scripture to reflect on is Mark 4, 20.
But those that were sown upon the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.
If you pretend your heart was garden soil that a planted seed was going to grow in, what do you think God would say your heart is like?
Are you like hard soil?
When God’s word is being taught to you, do you try to pay attention or do you talk or fall asleep during Mass?
If you do this, you’re ignoring God’s word, so when he does speak to you, you’re distracted by other things.
Are you like the rocky ground?
At one point in your life, you were excited about reading your Bible and praying each day.
Now you kind of listen to God’s word, but you don’t really spend time thinking about his word, so you can’t really grow.
Or are you like the seed growing among the thorns?
Are you more interested in sports, friends, games, or anything else?
Or is your heart soft soil towards God and his voice that when you hear his words, you try hard to listen and to obey so that you can grow into a stronger Christian every single day?
Today’s saint of the day, St.
Thomas Aquinas.
He was born 1225 and died 1274.
He is a patron saint of Catholic University, scholars, and schools.
Very rarely does a figure appear on the stage of history whose life will influence many ages to come.
Thomas Aquinas was such a person.
As a brilliant young man from the normal Italian family, Thomas had many options before him, but he was attracted to the fledgling Dominicans, whose mission was to preach and teach the gospel.
Against the wishes of his family, Thomas insisted on joining the controversial new religious order.
Thomas was so quiet, his classmates dubbed him the Dumb Ox, but St.
Albert the Great noticed the silent student’s intelligence, and when Thomas finally began to teach and preach, the students and teachers at the University of Paris took notice.
Using the writings of Aristotle to throw light on Christian teachings, Thomas forged a new way in philosophy and theology.
Thomas' work became a guiding star in theology.
He was also deeply contemplative and composed beautiful Eucharistic hymns that are still sung today.
Three months before his death, Thomas had a mythical experience at Mass, after which he stopped writing.
Thomas said, in comparison with what he had seen, all his work now seemed like straw.
You can keep your soil or heart soft and well-watered by reading and studying God’s Word and obeying what He teaches you.
As you do this, you grow stronger every day.
By hearing and obeying His Word, you will find that it’s easier to say no to sin.
You will want to please God and share Jesus with others.
This kind of life will make God happy and proud of you.
Thomas is not a saint because of his academic career, but because of his virtue.
Through his dazzling intellect, could have opened many other doors.
Thomas chose to live a humble life dedicated to God.
He walked great distances across Europe when he traveled, ate simply and faithfully, lived his religious vows.
Prayer is not the center not only for his studies, but also in his entire life.
Let’s pray.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Dear God, and help us to have the wisdom to teach others about you.
Saint Thomas Aquinas, pray for us.
Amen.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Thank you so much for listening.
We’ll be back tomorrow scattering more flowers.
See ya!