The Seed And The Path

Et dum seminat, aliud cecidit circa viam, et venerunt volucres, et comederunt illud. In Evangelio Lucae ita de hoc semine scriptum est: Aliud cecidit secus viam, et conculcatum est, et volucres coeli comederunt illud. Quaecunque ergo Dominus in hac parabola eхроnere dignatus est, pia fide suscipienda sunt. Quae vero tacita nostrae intelligentiae dereliquit, aeque pia intentione perquirenda ac perstringenda sunt breviter. Semen quod circa viam cecidit, duplici laesura disperiit, ut ab itinerantibus scilicet conculcatum, eta volucribus raptum. Via ergo est mens assiduo malarum cogitationum meatu trita atque arefacta, ne verbi semen accipere ac germinare sufficiat; atque ideo quidquid boni seminis vicinia talis viae contigerit, perit, quia improbo pessimae cogitationis transitu conculcatum a daemonibus rapitur. Qui recte volucres cœli, sive quia caelestis spiritalisque sunt naturae, sive quia per aera volitant, appellantur. Sanctus Beda, In Marci Evangelium Expositio, Liber I, Caput IV Source: Migne PL 92.167d-168a

And while he sowed, some seed fell around the path and the birds came and ate it. 1 In the Gospel of Luke it is written about the seed, 'Some fell beside the path and it was trodden on and the birds of heaven ate it.' 2 Whatever, then, the Lord in this parable thought worthy to set forth must be received with pious faith. But the unspoken things that escape our understanding, with pious application must be briefly sought and touched upon. The seed that falls around the path is destroyed in two ways, that is, by being crushed by travellers and by being seized by birds. The path, then, is the mind continually fixed in wicked thoughts which grinds down and dries up with guilt, and is not capable of receiving the seed of the Word and germinating. Therefore when good seed falls near such a path, it is crushed by the passing of vile thoughts and seized by demons, who are rightly called birds of heaven, either because they have the nature of heavenly spirits, or because they fly through the air. Saint Bede, Commentary on the Gospel of Mark, Chapter 2 1 Mk 5.14-15 2 Lk 8.5