The previous Gospels described a good seed, the Word of God. Then it described a good apostolic preacher in the calling of the apostles. A preacher must be called and chosen by Christ for that role. Thus the Gospel called the first apostles by name to make sure nobody commits any mistake on who they are.
In yesterday's Gospel they can be recognised by the fact that they teach everything that Christ said and did. The whole week described a good apostle or teacher.
Now, Christ describes a good pupil. He must receive the good seed from a good preacher. He cannot be a bad farmer planting bad seeds. In the work of God, the planter or preacher should be good and the seed he plants must be good, i.e. the Word of God.
Todays Gospel describes a good pupil. A good preacher must plant good seeds on good pupils.
The Gospel describes four kinds of soil. The good seed could not grow in the first three kinds of soil. It grew only on the fourth kind of soil, the fertile soil. St. Thomas remarked that the Gospel shows that ordinarily, for every four people who listens to the Word of God, one out of four is benefited, assuming that the Seed is good, and the preacher is good.
The seed of the Word of God, though planted by good preachers could fall on a road path. This is a soul that does not have any desire to know the Word of God. The Word of God is easily stolen by the devil and the mind remains empty. The next soil is stony, i.e. the soul is filled with many worldly concerns. The roots are shallow, the sun shines on it. It dries and dies. The third seeds falls on ground with thorny briars and is choked. These thorny briars are loved for wealth, ambition and desire to be known.
The fourth seed falls on fertile ground. The word fertile is 'humus' from which the word humility comes from. This is the fertile soil. The Saints describe the 12 degrees of humility, the higher the degree the more fertile the soil. Thus it produces 30 fold, 60 fold and 100 fold. The first produce is knowledge of all the commands of Christ in the mind of the soul. The second is knowledge of the commands of Christ in the mind and confessed through the mouth. The third is knowledge, confession and external practice of the commands of Christ that can convert other souls. These are the fruits of a seed planted in fertile soil.
2. Why are the church empty?
First; the seed of the Word of God from Divine Revelation is good. But it can be corrupted, modified, subtracted or added on by human corruptions.
Secondly; there is no one sent by God to preach. St. Paul reminds us that for souls to have Faith, they must hear a preacher. To have a preacher God must sent them one. Not any preacher will do. It must be one chosen and sent by Christ, St. Paul wrote. Most of our preachers are self-sent or sent by their bishops. But not by Christ.
Is it possible for a preacher to be sent by Christ? Of course. Any preacher with the theological virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity will know if he is sent or not. Without those virtues they will never know if Christ sent them.
Most preachers are not sent seen in the fact that their preachings are all in the natural or worldly level, like on politics, current events, immigrants, ecology, and other purely emotional topics. True preachers are supposed to preach the Word of God, as St. Peter did that is why he remained in the roof top.
Thirdly, there are no fertile soil to listen. We live en an era prophesied by Christ as people with the pride of life. Man is proud, the greatest sin, according to St. Pope Gregory the Great. He is guilty of self-sufficiency, the greatest kind of pride in which he believes he can do anything without the help of God. He does not need God as long as he has science. No Word of God can grow in such soil. And seminaries and theological schools foster this kind of pride in that as long as one studies in these exclusive theological school they are superior to everyone, What pride. Even the priestly or bishop's garb can make one proud. And to be addressed as father or your excellency can make one proud. Even being humble and holy can make a person proud. People are proud of being white, yellow or black. Today man is proud of everything and anything. The soil is absolutely infertile.
Many bishops and priest are sowing their own home made seeds which are always bad seeds; the devil plants evil seeds. Christ, the good sower will always sow good seeds and will sow the seeds anywhere and everywhere. We just have to choose to be either a fertile soil or an infertile soil for Christ's seeds. It depends on our intellect and free will to make the choice and make our souls according to our choice.
But today, the churches are empty since there are no good seeds since most seeds are earthly hybrids made in Taiwan. There are no God- sent good teachers. Since most of teachers are men, communists or devils and their classroom is the world. There are no pupils who are interested in learning the more important things in life like going to heaven. So the Churches are empty because many preachers are heretics and pupils are infertile proud souls who think they can change the world all by themselves and are, therefore, in the cities transforming it into what they want.
What do we see in pictures? Churches where there is no good seed, no good preacher and no good pupils. An empty Church. So where is the Church? Only those with the theological virtue of Faith, Hope and Charity can find them because they would be in it. The kingdom of God is within you, Christ said. In your minds and hearts, the spiritual faculties of the soul. This is the soul that produces 30, 60 and 100 fold.The true Catholic.
