Then his disciples came to him and said, “Why do you speak to them in parables?“
Jesus answered, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but not to these people. For the one who has will be given more; and he will have in abundance. But the one who does not have will be deprived of even what he has. That is why I speak to them in parables; because they look and do not see; they hear; but they do not listen or understand.
In them, the words of the prophet Isaiah are fulfilled: However much you hear, you do not understand; however much you see, you do not perceive.
For the heart of this people has grown dull. Their ears hardly hear and their eyes dare not see. If they were to see with their eyes, hear with their ears and understand with their heart, they would turn back, and I would heal them.
But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear.
For I tell you, many prophets and righteous people have longed to see the things you see, but they did not see them; and to hear the things you hear, but they did not hear them.
Now listen to the parable of the sower.
When a person hears the message of the kingdom, but does not take it seriously, the devil comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed that fell along the footpath.
The seed that fell on rocky ground stands for the one who hears the word, and accepts it at once with joy. But such a person has no roots, and endures only for a while. No sooner is he harassed or persecuted because of the word, than he gives up.
The seed that fell among the thistles is the one who hears the word; but then, the worries of this life and the love of money choke the word; and it does not bear fruit.
As for the seed that fell on good soil, it is the one who hears the word and understands it; this seed bears fruit and produces a hundred, or sixty, or thirty times more.“
REFLECTION:
Read: God’s Word will bear fruit, in season and out of season. We, along with the entire creation, must trust in God’s promises of redemption and new life, which will be given in the fullness of time. Jesus gives the parable of the sower who reaps thirty, sixty, and hundredfold.
Reflect: If God’s word never returns without realizing its purpose and produces in unimaginable quantities of thirties, sixties, and hundreds, why does it seemingly fail on the path and the rock and amidst the thistle? Perhaps what is needed is our cooperation with the Grace that is poured into us. Perhaps the seeds are still there waiting to sprout, but for our generous consent and cooperation. What might be preventing us from a total surrender to the word?
Pray: Let us pray for the grace of complete surrender to God’s will.
Act: Read a brief biography of a saint and reflect on how she/he let God’s word work in her/him.