The Word & Fire

In Matthew's Gospel chapter 13 we find Jesus telling us about the parable of the sower

On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd stood along the shore. And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying: "A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and birds came and ate it up.Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep,and when the sun rose it was scorched, and it withered for lack of roots. Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it.But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold. Whoever has ears ought to hear."

Indeed we ought to hear the Word, but for many we turn a deaf ear. Christ teachings about morals and the beatitudes are really about what we already know, thus we ought to hear. Recently an insurance company has been running a commercial, in it a young boy describes these various life crisis scenarios , for instance Johnny is going off to college but his dad just lost his job what should he do. In it the boy basically announces that people want to do the right thing but are not sure what that is. The reality is that most people will not subject their life decisions to any moral scrutiny. The things Christ talked about we already know...help those less fortunate....treat others fairly as you would want to be treated...be merciful...fight for righteousness...The Laws of God are not contrary to the Natural Law. I guarantee that in most situations that comprise the majority of moral decisions, we know what the right thing to do is. If it is a complex, ethical decision then we have to determine from some kind of order what is the right thing to do. Most people make a choice and the choice is based on how they will feel as a consequence of a certain behavior or decision. This is how the moral game is played. The secular mindset taught is that how you feel is what is really important. For those who do hear the Word and choose to develop their spiritual being, they are extending an invitation to the Holy Spirit to work with them. He will begin to teach them everything, an understanding beyond human capacity. Thus their lives become like fire consuming everything that leads them to the love of God. In that they feel not what they have inside themselves but rather they feel the love and the power of the Almighty. It starts with the Word.