A Jesuit Catholic University
in Omaha, Nebraska, since 1878

First Corinthians 15:35-37, 42-49 Psalms 56:10-12, 13-14 Luke 8:4-15

Weekly Guide for Daily Prayer The Daily Reflections

“But as for the seed that fell on rich soil, they are the ones who, when they have heard the word, embrace it with a generous and good heart, and bear fruit through perseverance”- Luke 8:15

Today’s Gospel calls us to ask ourselves what kind of spiritual foundation we have. I believe that we have the ability to decide what kind of foundation we are going to create in ourselves; we have the option to be as receptive and open to God’s Word as we can. We need to create an environment for ourselves that feeds us spiritually. Surrounding ourselves with people who support our beliefs and help us to carry them out is incredibly important. Solidarity with others who share our faith can strengthen our faith immensely and give us friends to turn to when things get rough. I believe, however, that the most important thing we can do to create a good foundation for our faith is to maintain a close relationship with Christ himself through personal prayer, Mass, and many other forms of prayer. Keeping in touch with God through prayer keeps us focused and motivated to live out our faith.

There was a key word that popped out at me in the Gospel when Jesus describes those who have laid down a solid foundation for faith; that word is “perseverance”. We all come to points in our lives where we realize that we have lost our grip on the rich soil for our souls. At this point we have the choice to let ourselves fall away from our faith and reject God’s grace or solidify our foundation again by accepting God’s mercy and working to live out God’s love once again. I personally find myself very frustrated and upset when I sin and weaken my spiritual foundation, but I have found that after receiving God’s mercy, I commit myself even further to living out my faith and I bear more fruit. We should always persevere in building our foundation for our faith even when we sin because “what is sown dishonorable; is raised glorious” (1 Cor 15:43).