Gospel: July 26, 2024
(Friday)
16th Week in Ordinary Time
Psalter: Week 4 / (White)
Saint Joachim and Saint Anne, parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Responsorial Psalm: Jer 31: 10, 11-12abcd, 13
The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.
1st Reading: Jeremiah 3: 14-17
Gospel: Matthew 13: 18-23
Now listen to the parable of the sower. When a person hears the message of the Kingdom but without taking it to himself, 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 bears fruit and produces a hundred, or sixty, or thirty times more.”
Reflection: “The seeds of goodness”
We continue our faith journey while being guided by Jesus’ parables in Matthew 13. In today’s Gospel, Jesus explained to his disciples the parable of the sower. Jesus put emphasis to the importance of hearing by which the one hearing the message truly understands what is being conveyed. There are many practices we do which we actually do not understand.
To mention, often, we do not really know the spirit behind the religious practice we perform. Hence, our faith does not truly grow because the seeds of goodness already sown in our hearts are stifled.
The seeds of goodness sown are merely falling on deaf ears. We may reflect on the many rituals we had already performed and yet seemingly did not change us at all. There are times when we are so inspired by what we hear inside the Mass but are not able to put them into practice after the celebration. It could happen that we may be attending celebrations such as the Mass simply because we see it as a mere obligation but our hearts are hardly there. If this is the case, we will not yield fruits in abundance. We are called to have deeper relationship with God’s Word.
