Commentary on the Gospel of
Change of Hearts
The parable of the sower presents us with four kinds of hearts: a shallow heart, a hardened heart, an overcrowded one, and a fertile, open, welcoming heart. The word of God that falls on the shallow wayside is soon lost. In a hardened, rocky heart, the word simply cannot grow root. The word of God is suffocated within a crowded, thorny heart. In a fertile, open, and welcoming heart, the word thrives and produces much fruit. The consoling news is that the gospel does not foreclose the possibility of conversion of one kind of heart to another: The first three kinds of hearts can anytime choose to cooperate with the grace of God to become fertile and receptive to the word of God, as did the heart of the “good thief” crucified along with Christ. At his last moment, his heart opened up, received the word, and woke up in the Paradise with Christ.
