Today’s Reflection
Gospel: Lk 8:4-15
September 17, 2022 | Saturday

Today’s Gospel

As a great crowd gathered, and people came to him from every town, Jesus began teaching them with a story: “The sower went out to sow the seed. And as he sowed, some of the seed fell along the way, was trodden on, and the birds of the sky ate it up. Some seed fell on rocky ground; and no sooner had it come up than it withered, because it had no water. Some seed fell among thorns; the thorns grew up with the seed and choked it. But some seed fell on good soil and grew, producing fruit, a hundred times as much!” And Jesus cried out, “Listen then, if you have ears to hear!” The disciples asked him, “What does this story mean?” And Jesus answered, “To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God. But to others it is given in the form of stories, or parables, so that, seeing, they may not perceive; and hearing, they may not understand. Now, this is the point of the parable: The seed is the word of God. Those along the wayside are people who hear it; but immediately, the devil comes and takes the word from their minds, for he doesn’t want them to believe and be saved. Those on the rocky ground are people who receive the word with joy; but they have no root; they believe for a while, and give way in time of trial. Among the thorns are people who hear the word, but, as they go their way, they are choked by worries, riches, and the pleasures of life; they bring no fruit to maturity. The good soil, instead, are people who receive the word, and keep it, in a gentle and generous mind, and, persevering patiently, they bear fruit.

Today’s Reflection:

The Parable of the Sower which we read today attests that the word of God is dynamic. In the Gospel, the sower went to sow his seed generously. Some fell on the path, others on rock or thorns; some fell on good soil which produced a hundredfold.

We encounter God in many ways by listening to his word during the Mass or reading the Word from a book, or in these times, on our devices. In our digital culture, however, the risk is that the seed of God’s word falls on shallow ground. One hears and reads the Word, thinks about it and then in a blink of an eye or upon scrolling down the screen, one forgets it. The sown Word of God requires a proper disposition, meditation, and rootedness. We pray for a heart that is willing to listen, that it may receive God’s Word with openness. As we live or busy lives, may it bear fruit abundantly. /Vulnerasti, 2022