21st of July

Gospel text

(Mt 13,1-9): 

Jesus left the house and sat down by the lakeside. As many people gathered around him, He got in a boat. There He sat while the whole crowd stood on the shore, and he spoke to them in parables about many things. Jesus said, «The sower went out to sow and, as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground where there was little soil, and the seeds sprouted quickly because the soil was not deep. But as soon the sun rose the plants were scorched and withered because they had no roots. Again other seeds fell among thistles; and the thistles grew and choked the plants. Still other seeds fell on good soil and produced a crop; some produced a hundredfold, others sixty and others thirty. If you have ears, then hear!».

The Application

If the parable of the Good Samaritan helps us to understand how much God takes care of us , our wounds and loves us, the parable of the sower helps us to understand the source of our being. Both make it clear that Jesus is on his way towards, and from his home, making his way, like any other person, on the way makes a  pause. He sees the people, has compassion. He stops and engages (today he is teaching).

In both parables there is a very single important teaching, our participation in the accomplishment of the divine will.  Jesus does not ask us to do extraordinary things, but simply to be faithful to the mission given, in our daily life. In the parable of the Good Samaritan, we are to play the role of the hostess who welcomes Jesus and the wounded man, and in the parable of the sower, the land is to produce the fruit. It is God who takes the initiative and we are called to respond to his call.  I just read this expression, 'God has already prepared the way, and now he is preparing us. If we remain faithful to the call, we may not even be aware the quantity and the quality of fruits we will be producing.

Action of the day: Be open to the irruption of the Holy Spirit.

«The sower went out to sow and, as he sowed»

Fr. Julio César RAMOS González SDB

(Mendoza, Argentina)

Today, Jesus —in Matthew's Gospel— starts introducing us into the mysteries of the Kingdom, in that particular way that He likes to use by means of parables.

The seeds are the Word proclaimed and the sower is He. He is not trying to sow in the best possible soil to produce an excellent crop. He has come so that «they may have life, and have it to the full» (Jn 10:10). This is why He does not spare his seeds and generously throws handfuls of them onto the ground, whether it is «along the path» (Mt 13:4), or «on rocky ground» (key verse 5), or «among thistles» (key verse 7), or, finally, «on good soil» (key verse 8).

Thus, the seeds so generously sown produce the expected yield the “toponymic” possibilities allow. The Second Vatican Council tells us: «The word of the Lord is compared to a seed which is sown in a field; those who hear it with faith and are numbered among the little flock of Christ have truly received the Kingdom. Then, by its own power the seed sprouts and grows until the harvest» (Lumen gentium, n. 5).

«Those who hear it with faith», says the Council. You are used to hear it, perhaps to read it and, maybe, to ponder over. Depending on the depth of your faith through hearing, such will be the fruits the crop will bear. Though, these fruits, somehow, are guaranteed by the vital power of the Word-seed, our responsibility in the attentive listening to the Word is no less important. This is why «If you have ears, then hear!» (Mt 13:9).

Today, ask the Lord the prophet’s yearning: «When I found your words, I devoured them; they became my joy and the happiness of my heart, Because I bore your name, O Lord, God of hosts» (Jer 15,16).