First reading 1 Timothy 6:13-16
I put to you the duty of doing all that you have been told
Before God the source of all life and before Christ, who spoke up as a witness for the truth in front of Pontius Pilate, I put to you the duty of doing all that you have been told, with no faults or failures, until the Appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who at the due time will be revealed
by God, the blessed and only Ruler of all,
the King of kings and the Lord of lords,
who alone is immortal,
whose home is in inaccessible light,
whom no man has seen and no man is able to see:
to him be honour and everlasting power. Amen.
Responsorial Psalm 99(100)
Come before the Lord, singing for joy.
Cry out with joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Serve the Lord with gladness.
Come before him, singing for joy.
Come before the Lord, singing for joy.
Know that he, the Lord, is God.
He made us, we belong to him,
we are his people, the sheep of his flock.
Come before the Lord, singing for joy.
Go within his gates, giving thanks.
Enter his courts with songs of praise.
Give thanks to him and bless his name.
Come before the Lord, singing for joy.
Indeed, how good is the Lord,
eternal his merciful love.
He is faithful from age to age.
Come before the Lord, singing for joy.
Gospel Luke 8:4-15
The parable of the sower
With a large crowd gathering and people from every town finding their way to him, Jesus used this parable:
‘A sower went out to sow his seed. As he sowed, some fell on the edge of the path and was trampled on; and the birds of the air ate it up. Some seed fell on rock, and when it came up it withered away, having no moisture. Some seed fell amongst thorns and the thorns grew with it and choked it. And some seed fell into rich soil and grew and produced its crop a hundredfold.’ Saying this he cried, ‘Listen, anyone who has ears to hear!’
His disciples asked him what this parable might mean, and he said, ‘The mysteries of the kingdom of God are revealed to you; for the rest there are only parables, so that
they may see but not perceive,
listen but not understand.
‘This, then, is what the parable means: the seed is the word of God. Those on the edge of the path are people who have heard it, and then the devil comes and carries away the word from their hearts in case they should believe and be saved. Those on the rock are people who, when they first hear it, welcome the word with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of trial they give up. As for the part that fell into thorns, this is people who have heard, but as they go on their way they are choked by the worries and riches and pleasures of life and do not reach maturity. As for the part in the rich soil, this is people with a noble and generous heart who have heard the word and take it to themselves and yield a harvest through their perseverance.’
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The sower never gives up
The parable of the sower speaks of the vulnerability of the seeds. Seeds need the right conditions to grow, mature and bear fruit. God is the sower who generously sows the seed of His Word of life and love into our lives. However, the environment in our life might prevent the seed of His Word from taking root and growing. Our lack of faith can lead us to harden our hearts to let the Word of God impact our lives.
Hardships we encounter can shake our faith and make us turn away from believing in God’s promise that He would be with us. We allow the worries, riches and pleasures of life to choke the Word. Although we sometimes allow God and His Word to be replaced by the demands and distractions of life, He never stops to sow His Word because He knows that we do have the capacity to be good soil where the His Word will find a home within us. God’s extravagant love never gives up on us. May we receive His Word with a noble and generous heart, ready to bear a rich harvest for ourselves and others.
Question for reflection:
What is the message that God has for me today?
What is the message that God has for me today?
