Today’s Readings:
1 Corinthians 15:35-37, 42-49
Psalm 56:10-14
Luke 8:4-15
www.usccb.org/bible/readings/
USCCB Podcast of the Readings:
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A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke.
When a large crowd gathered, with people from one town after another
journeying to Jesus, he spoke in a parable.
“A sower went out to sow his seed.
And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path and was trampled,
and the birds of the sky ate it up.
Some seed fell on rocky ground, and when it grew,
it withered for lack of moisture.
Some seed fell among thorns,
and the thorns grew with it and choked it.
And some seed fell on good soil, and when it grew,
it produced fruit a hundredfold.”
After saying this, he called out,
“Whoever has ears to hear ought to hear.”
Then his disciples asked him
what the meaning of this parable might be.
He answered,
“Knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of God
has been granted to you;
but to the rest, they are made known through parables
so that they may look but not see, and hear but not understand.
“This is the meaning of the parable.
The seed is the word of God.
Those on the path are the ones who have heard,
but the Devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts
that they may not believe and be saved.
Those on rocky ground are the ones who, when they hear,
receive the word with joy, but they have no root;
they believe only for a time and fall away in time of temptation.
As for the seed that fell among thorns,
they are the ones who have heard, but as they go along,
they are choked by the anxieties and riches and pleasures of life,
and they fail to produce mature fruit.
But as for the seed that fell on rich soil,
they are the ones who, when they have heard the word,
embrace it with a generous and good heart,
and bear fruit through perseverance.”
Reflection for Saturday: How to Hear Jesus
By Graciela Ramos, Director of Online Ministry
In reading the passage from Saturday’s Gospel, my first impression was: “Jesus is being indifferent and unkind to those who are not his disciples,” because he tells the disciples that he will explain to them the parable and he’ll let everyone else leave without understanding anything.
Of course, Jesus could never neglect anyone. It is impossible since he is God. Each creature is important and unique to him. So, why won’t he explain the parable to anyone but his followers?
Let’s have a look at the end of verse eight. When the parable ends Jesus cries out: “Whoever has ears to hear ought to hear.” Of course, everyone had ears. Then? It’s simple. Jesus uses the verb “to hear” as a synonym of “to pay attention and try to understand”. He was inviting the crowd to try to understand what he had just told them in the parable.
Immediately after, in verse nine, we read: “The disciples asked him….” There is the key. There is the reason why Jesus explains it them and not to the rest of the crowd. The disciples came and asked him what he meant with that parable, simply because they wanted to know more, they wanted to understand the parable, they wanted Jesus to reveal to them the mysteries of the Kingdom of God. This “willingness” was the condition for Jesus to devote to them his time and effort.
Today, many new things and situations challenge our concepts or our ideas. Every day we find realities that confuse us, and sometimes we want to do as the crowd did and move away without understanding. We prefer to avoid the problem of making an effort to understand. Then, if someone questions us or asks us about the meaning of a Church law or teaching or what to think about a scandal, we can respond according to our own opinion. But this is not what God has in mind for us. This is not our calling.
As Christians, we are called to seek answers, to investigate all of the issues that challenge our understanding. God has enabled us (like he enabled the multitude who listened to the parable of the sower) to understand everything he came to teach us. And, if some subject is beyond our understanding and we cannot grasp the meaning, Jesus is always available to us through his Holy Spirit, to explain it to us and “to guide us to the full truth” (John 16, 13).
We just need to desire to understand, to desire to follow Jesus and to do only his will. We only need a heart that’s open and willing to be invaded, healed and liberated by the Divine Physician. Jesus will take care of the rest.
© 2018 by Terry A. Modica
