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.
Know that he, the Lord, is God.
He made us, we belong to him,
we are his people, the sheep of his flock.
Go within his gates, giving thanks.
Enter his courts with songs of praise.
Give thanks to him and bless his name.
Indeed, how good is the Lord,
eternal his merciful love.
He is faithful from age to age.
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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Jesus, the patient Sower
In today’s gospel, Jesus tells the parable of the sower who sows his seed carelessly. He does not seem to mind where the seed lands—whether on the hard path, the rocky ground, or the thorny soil. Jesus is like this sower. He spreads the seed of God’s Word in the hearts of all people, regardless of their circumstances.
We take comfort in knowing that Jesus sows the seed of His Word, but He does not simply walk away afterwards. He remains actively involved in our lives, carefully tending to the soil of our hearts. He cares for the soil of our hearts by patiently guiding, nourishing and forgiving us. He waters hardened hearts and removes rocky and thorny obstacles that prevent our growth. Jesus never stops working in us and through us because He wants the seed of His Word to take root in our hearts. This allows us to live a meaningful and purposeful life that produces an abundant harvest, filled with love, joy, and hope.
Reflective question:
Do I recognise Jesus’ love at work in my life, even during challenging times?
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year C” by Sr Maria Jose FMVD.
