Every Catholic Man - Sunday Gospel Bible Study
Learn more about how a man can grow in happiness at EveryCatholicMan.com, including daily Gospel devotions from the Mass for every day of the year. The EveryCatholicMan.com podcast can help a man draw closer to Jesus Christ, learn the Catholic faith and grow in happiness by becoming a better Catholic Son and Catholic Father. In every episode, a man can hear the Gospel reading from the Holy Catholic Mass, hear what Jesus is accomplishing, discover what can lead a man to be more awed by Jesus Christ, grow in happiness, learn from the Catechism, and take action to practice what Jesus and the Catholic Church is teaching in the Gospel. Matthew James Christoff is a Catholic convert and evangelist of Catholic men. Matthew's extensive work to help Catholic men draw closer to Jesus Christ and grow in happiness can be found at EveryCathoilcMan.com. At EveryCatholicMan.com can find daily Gospel devotions from the Mass for every day of the year and a comprehensive set of tools that can help a man grow in holiness and happiness. Matthew is a co-founder of the Catholic Men's Leadership Alliance and HeroicMen.com, the founder of the New Evangelization Project and CatholicManNight.com, and is featured in the Knights of Columbus Into the Breach Video Series. Matthew's professional career includes being a strategy consultant for Fortune 50 companies and a brand manager in a major consumer products company. Matthew has a Masters in Theology from the Augustine Institute, a Masters in Business and a Civil Engineering degree from Purdue University. Matthew is married to his childhood sweetheart, has four married adult children and grandchildren.
Every Catholic Man - Sunday Gospel Bible Study
Episode 82 - Jesus gives a God’s eye view of men’s responses to His Gospel in the Parable of the Sower - Sunday July 16, 2023 - Mt 13:1-23
Jesus gives a God’s eye view of men’s responses to His Gospel in the Parable of the Sower. Every Catholic man can grow in happiness by building the Virtue of Gratitude so he can recognize and be grateful to God for His many blessings and by seeking the Gift of the Fear of the Lord from the Holy Spirit for help to meet Christ’s high expectations.
Jesus teaches huge crowds through parables about the hidden mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven; a parable is a short story that uses familiar images to draw the willing to ponder a cryptic deeper spiritual truth. Jesus begins with the Parable of the Sower, using familiar agricultural imagery to connect with the crowd, and Jews would recall the “Sower” often refers to God in the Old Testament (Is 55:10-11; Jer 31:27-28). This magnificent parable describes the disposition of men to hear God, the Spiritual Combat, the confirmation of Satan’s work in the world to corrupt the souls of men and God’s high expectations of men in building His Kingdom on earth.
Later, Jesus reveals a glimpse of the supernatural mystery of how God calls all men but accepts that many will refuse His gracious invitation. To all men of good will who seek Jesus and His Kingdom, He promises abundant blessings, including peace and joy on earth and the eternal joy of Heaven. For those who encounter but reject Him, Jesus reveals that they will lose everything, including their eternal salvation.
Jesus explains the parable by describing four different reactions (Soils) to God’s (the Sower) announcement (Sowing) of the word of the Kingdom of Heaven (the Seed). Men who hear but don’t care to understand about the Kingdom (the path) are seduced by the Evil One/Satan (the birds). Men who hear but only have an initial shallow emotional reaction (rocky ground with shallow roots) fall away when tribulation and persecution (the scorching sun) occurs. Men who hear but prefer and are choked by the pleasures of the world (the thorns) fail to bear fruit. Men who hear, understand and persevere to enter the Kingdom (the good soil) bear extraordinary fruit (disciples, love) for Jesus, the King.
Be awed by Jesus Christ
Be awed by the Divine Knowledge and powerful Logic (a type of Reason) of Jesus as He accurately surveys, assesses, and summarizes four categories of reaction to His Gospel, and how He designs a mysterious parable which appeals to the Hearts (a type of Reason) of those hungry for God; note too, the rigorous Diligence (a part of Justice) that Jesus puts into His work of crafting parables and teaching His disciples.
Recognize and be grateful to God for His many blessings
Realize: In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus calls men to a robust and enduring faith, and condemns men’s lack of faith (indifference, shallow emotionalism, preference for the world); a Catholic man can become lukewarm in faith because he fails to recognize and be grateful for the many blessings he receives from God.
Believe: Reflect upon the Sins against God’s Love (CCC 29, 2094).
Pray: Almighty Father, help me build the Virtue of Gratitude (a part of Justice) so I reject ingratitude, I recognize and more fully appreciate Your astounding generosity and I joyfully show my gratitude by growing in fruitful love for You and all those I meet.
Ask the Spirit to help you meet Christ’s high expectations
Realize: To meet Jesus’ extremely high expectations (100, 60, and 30-fold) for the fruitfulness of saints fit for the Kingdom of Heaven, a Catholic man should fear disappointing God and beg the Holy Spirit to help him to produce extraordinary fruit.
Believe: Reflect upon Fruitfulness and Holiness (CCC 546, 2074, 2012-2016).
Pray: Holy Spirit, give me the Gift of the Fear of the Lord so I accept that Jesus calls me to have the fruitfulness of a saint, I fear disappointing Him, and I constantly seek Your help to achieve what Jesus desires of me.