As we journey deeper into the season of Septuagesima, the Church places before us two striking passages for our meditation: 2 Corinthians 11:19-33; 12:1-9 and Luke 8:4-15. In these readings, we find the paradox of Christian suffering and the mystery of divine grace—themes particularly fitting as we prepare our hearts for the spiritual combat of Lent.
St. Paul’s Suffering: A True Apostolic BoastIn his epistle, St. Paul recounts in painful detail the many trials he endured for the sake of Christ: scourging, shipwrecks, hunger, dangers from false brethren, and countless other afflictions. And yet, he writes:
“If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness” (2 Cor. 11:30).
Here, St. Paul subverts worldly expectations. Normally, men boast of their strength, success, and triumphs. But the Apostle glories in his sufferings, for they reveal the power of Christ at work in him. This echoes the words of our Lord to him:
“My grace is sufficient for thee: for power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9).
St. John Chrysostom, reflecting on this passage, marvels at Paul’s radical humility:
“When he had enumerated his perils and toils, he says that these were his boast. Not the raising of the dead, nor the curing of lepers, nor the casting out of demons, but his sufferings for Christ” (Homily 26 on 2 Corinthians).
For St. Paul, his trials are not obstacles but proofs of his apostleship. He does not rely on earthly strength but on the grace of God, making him a model for all who would follow Christ.
The Parable of the Sower: The Heart as the Field of Grace
In the Gospel, Our Lord tells the parable of the sower, explaining how the Word of God falls on different kinds of soil—some rocky, some thorny, and some fertile. The Fathers saw in this parable a profound image of the human soul and its response to grace.
St. Augustine, in his Sermon on the Parable of the Sower, warns that the path, the rocks, and the thorns represent different kinds of spiritual failures:
“Some hear negligently, and the devil snatches away what was sown; others receive the word with joy but do not persevere; others are choked by the cares of the world. But the good ground is he who both hears and understands, who bears fruit with patience” (Sermon 73 on the New Testament).
The connection between this Gospel and St. Paul’s letter is striking. Paul himself was once like the rocky ground—full of zeal but lacking deep roots in grace, persecuting the very Church he would later die for. Through suffering, trials, and humility, he became the “good soil” that bore abundant fruit.
The Call to True Preparation
The liturgical season of Septuagesima reminds us that our own spiritual journey is often marked by struggle. Like St. Paul, we must embrace suffering as a path to deeper union with Christ. Like the good soil in the parable, we must cultivate hearts that receive God’s Word with perseverance.
St. Gregory the Great exhorts us:
“Let us examine our hearts, my brethren, and ask: What kind of soil are we? The season of purification is at hand; let us till the soil of our hearts with penance, lest we be found barren when the Sower returns” (Homily on the Gospels).
As we move toward Lent, let us remember: God’s grace is sufficient. Weakness is not a failure but an opportunity for divine strength. If we allow His Word to take root in us, we too will bear fruit in patience and in suffering, becoming true disciples of Christ.
May the Blessed Virgin Mary, who bore the Eternal Word in the most fertile soil of her Immaculate Heart, intercede for us as we seek to bear spiritual fruit in this holy season.
In Christ, through Mary,
Catechismus Catholicum