In this liturgy, the passage from Luke presents the parable of the Sower and the reception of the various soils; a parallel with the Word of God assimilated in different ways.
The new Evangelist of recent times, Francis, was enamoured with the Word and listened to it constantly, so much so that it was imprinted in his memory.
He was good soil that produced a hundredfold.
The Sources inform us:
"Radiant with the splendour of eternal light, he scrutinised the depths of the Scriptures with a clear and sharp intellect. His mind, pure of all stain, penetrated the secret of mysteries [...]
He read the sacred books from time to time and kept what he had once assimilated firmly imprinted in his memory, since he continually ruminated with affectionate devotion on what he had heard with an attentive mind" (FF 1188).
"With equal care and devotion, he committed himself to carrying out the other teachings he had heard.
In fact, he had never been a deaf listener to the Gospel, but, entrusting everything he heard to his commendable memory, he sought with every diligence to carry it out to the letter" (FF 357).
As Celano calls him in the First Life - "river of Paradise" - Francis, "the new evangelist of this last time, spread the waters of the Gospel with loving care throughout the whole world, and by his works he showed the way and the true doctrine of the Son of God" (FF 475).
In the Earlier Rule (1221):
"Let us therefore remain faithful to the words, life, doctrine and Holy Gospel of Him who deigned to pray for us to the Father" (FF 62).
And "let us beware of being the soil along the road, or the stony ground, or the ground overgrown with thorns, as the Lord says in the Gospel:
'The seed is the Word of God [...] the seed entrusted to good soil are those who, listening to the word with good, indeed excellent dispositions, understand it and keep it and bear fruit with perseverance'" (FF 58).
«The Sower went out to sow his seed [...] The seed is the Word of God» (Lk 8:5a, 11b)
Saturday of the 24th wk. in Ordinary Time (Lk 8:4-15)
