SOWERS AND THE SEED - LEGION OF MARY
You know there are so many good stories that Our Lord used during His time on earth.  We call many of
them parables.  A parable is a story that uses something local, something that people will understand
and then tries to get form that story something that will fill the listeners with the Good News.

In the parable of the sowers and the seed we have good seed being sown over all sorts of ground and
soil.  In Galilee, where the terrain tended to be very uneven and hilly, it was only narrow strips of land
and in the valleys and skirting the river banks that were sown with seed... The sower scattered his seed,
not using the modern methods with tractors etc, thus some of the seed fell on good ground some on
rock ground and some on paths to be eaten by the passing birds  On the rocky soil, a little ground
covered the path and the seed took root to only die because of no moisture.

We know that the good seed falls on the whole world, representing the whole person. We are soil for the
divine seed, each and every soul that God created.  Even though the sowing is carried out with great
love, it is God who pours Himself into all the hearts – the results depend largely on the condition of the
soul on which it falls - some good and some not so good, Christ’s word tells us forcefully about the
responsibility man has to prepare himself to receive God’s grace and to correspond to it.

Rocky ground and thorns are not good places for seeds to grow.  Yes, they might of a sudden begin to
grow but in the long run, since they have no soil, are scorched by the sun.  This represents the
superficial soul with little inner depth, souls that are inconstant and incapable of persevering.  They have
good dispositions, they even receive grace with joy but when the moment comes to confront difficulties
they turn back.  They are not capable of sacrificing themselves in order to fulfill the resolutions the have
made so their resolutions die without bearing fruit.  We have all seen such souls in our work with the
Legion.  Some just cannot keep their nose to the grindstones as it were, in order to keep their faith in
good shape. They try, but sooner or later, when tragedy or misfortune comes upon them they give up
the fight.  They become an easy prey for the devil who certainly does not want them to follow in the
thoughts of Jesus and Mary.

Love of riches, a disordered ambition to gain influence or power and excessive concern for well-being
and a comfortable way of life are sharp thorns that prevent any union with God.  A soul immersed in
material things is wrapped in a deep seated avarice and leads them to appreciate only what they can
touch.  Consequently they are blind to supernatural realities. It seems they are blind to all that really
matters.  Their only aim is attached to money, influence or praise, setting their hearts on the ultimate
comfort they see advertised and give into they own whims and seek so many things that are quite
unnecessary.  In their lives there is a serious obstacle to God’s love.

Sometimes when we are making our calls it almost seems impossible that the soul with whom we are
working will ever change their lifestyle so we can help them get to heaven.  We get this idea when we
think that WE are the ones who are doing the work with this soul.  We have to remember that God and
Mary also have an interest with this soul and that God never gives in to frustration. Maybe, when we feel
like this we should remember that the giver of these graces that we are asking for originated from Him
and we are only instruments in His work.

There is so much we can gather from the parables of Jesus for our work in the Legion.  How often we
will meet souls who fit into the categories that Jesus gave us in the parable of the sower and the seeds,
and then maybe we can look at the trouble they have in their souls and try to help them out so they can
again wish to follow the words of Jesus and try to follow His wishes.  And, if we find ourselves on
ground that is not good soil maybe we can take a little look into our souls and see where we stand in our
relationship with God.  You know, we can only give what we have, if we don’t have a solution for the
trouble of a soul, we will not be able to help it.


© Father Louis Schlangen 2011