Let me tell you a story about two men. One is named Truth and the other is named Story. These two men lived in the Middle Ages and would go about the country side speaking to people. Story would wear fine multi-colored clothes as he went about. Truth, on the other hand, went around naked. Story would speak stories, and Truth would speak truths. However, the problem was that no one would listen to Truth. They would shy away from him. However, they would listen to Story for long periods of time. So, Truth walked around the countryside alone and rejected, while everyone welcomed Story.

One day, Story asked Truth why he looked so forlorn and sad. Truth said to him: “I am so old and ugly, and everyone avoids me.”

Story said to him: “That’s nonsense. Here, borrow my fine robes and see what happens.” So, Truth gave up being naked and wore Story’s fine robes. The result was that everyone listened to Truth and learned the Truth.

The moral of the story is that people have a hard time facing the naked Truth. They much prefer the Truth disguised in fine robes.

That is why Jesus speaks to his listeners in parables, as in today’s gospel. He dresses up the truth with a story so that the people will enjoy hearing the truth and listen to what Jesus has to say.

The simple parable of today’s gospel is very clear. God’s word is the seed. Jesus is the sower of the seed. We are the ground. Jesus makes it clear that there is nothing faulty with the seed or the sower. The ground is always the problem. God’s word is supposed to change our hearts, but that does not always happen.

Sometimes that seed falls on the path rather that into fertile soil....In other words sometimes God’s word does not take root in our hearts.

Sometimes the seed falls on rocky ground. When you hear ‘rocky ground,’ think of shaky ground. Those are people who get excited about God’s word for a while, but because there are no roots, that word never gets good roots and slowly withers away.

Sometimes we can relate to the seed strewn among thorns and thistles. We hear the word of God and even live it to a degree, but other pressures or excuses come into our lives and we give up.

The seed that falls on rich soil are those who hear God’s word and with that word bears much fruit.

So, the obvious question is where does each one of us stand? Well, probably at different times in our lives we have approached God’s teachings differently. Today’s parable is meant as a kind of wake-up call to become fervent about God’s word.

The teaching is clear. In our own lives we are bombarded with words, words, and more words. Leave room for the word of God. Be rich soil so that his word and his life may grow. God’s word can grow. We just have to be fertile soil.