In today's Gospel we have an explanation of the parable of the Sower. While in the original parable (Wednesday's Gospel), the emphasis was on the Sower (God), here it is rather on the soil which receives the seed. It describes various ways in which the Seed, the Word of God, is received. In the first case, it is not received at all and in the second, it is received with enthusiasm but, with the first hint of difficulty, it shrivels up. In the third case, the Seed is doing well but other plants grow up beside it and choke it. Finally, there is the fertile soil which receives the Seed fully and produces a rich harvest. Probably, most of us see ourselves in the third category. We want to follow Christ but so many other concerns get in the way and we tend to want the best of both worlds and end up with neither.