Jesus’ words is the key to life.

Ears devoted to the words of Jesus are good soil.

The word of God falls on sterile grounds. It could not bear fruit.

It can also be choked and stifled by our many concerns.

 

 St. Sharbel Makhluf, priest

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊      

Jeremiah 1:1, 4-10

These are the words of Jeremiah,

Son of Hilkiah, one of the priests at Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin.

A word of Yahweh came to me, "Even before I formed you in the womb I have known you; even before you were born I had set you apart, and appointed you a prophet to the nations!"

 

I said, "Ah, Lord Yahweh! I do not know how to speak; I am still young!" But Yahweh replied, "Do not say; 'I am still young', for now you will go, whatever be the mission I am entrusting to you, and you will speak of whatever I command you to say. Do not be afraid of them, for I will be with you to protect you-it is Yahweh who speaks!"

 

Then Yahweh stretched out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, "Now I have put my words in your mouth. See! Today I give you authority over nations and over kingdoms to uproot and to pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant."

 

Ps 71:1-2, 3-4a, 5-6ab, 15, 17 My mouth shall be filled with praise, and I will sing your glory.

 

＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊      

Matthew 13:1-9

That same day, Jesus left the house and sat down by the lakeside. Many people gathered around him. So he got into a boat, and sat down, while the crowds 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 as the sun rose, the plants were scorched; and they 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 a hundredfold, others sixty, and others thirty. If you have ears, then hear!"

 

Gospel Reflection ：

"To welcome God's Word."

Chapter 13 of Matthew's Gospel is the third of the five discourses. It is called the parabolic discourse. This third discourse tells of several parables describing the kingdom of heaven. The first of these is the parable commonly known as the parable of the sower. Today's Gospel tells that there are different kinds of soil upon which the seeds may fall.

 

The seeds that fall on good soil are the ones that can abundantly produce a crop. We may reflect on the fact that, often, we receive inspiration upon hearing the Word of God. However, there are also times when we are slowly losing the inspiration we received from God's Word. Consequently, we also lose the fervor to continue the beautiful things which we have started.

 

When this happens, it seems that our hearts are not yet ready to truly welcome the Word of God. Nonetheless, we can keep the inspiration when we bear in mind that our hearts can always be prepared so that we can welcome God's Word in our hearts. The soil can always be prepared for the seeds. As soil can be cultivated for the seeds, our hearts can be made clean to accept God's Word.