#DAYLIGHT
– Daily #MenOfLight#GospelReflection
July
24, 2019
Wednesday
of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Gospel:
Mt 13: 1 - 9
Sharer:
Bro. Mike Lapid
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The Gospel
1 On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the
sea. 2 Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a
boat and sat down, and the whole crowd stood along the shore. 3 And
he spoke to them at length in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. 4 And
as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and birds came and ate it up. 5 Some
fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because
the soil was not deep, 6 and when the sun rose it was scorched,
and it withered for lack of roots. 7 Some seed fell among
thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it. 8 But some seed
fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold. 9 Whoever
has ears ought to hear.”
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Reflection
The Journey of the Seed of God’s Word
The parable of the sower is about God’s word and our
response to it. In this parable, the word of God is compared to the seed that is
scattered by the sower. There is, however, something quite unusual with the way
the seeds were sown in the parable. Any farmer would know that no one broadly scatters
seeds on the road, on rocky ground or on thistles. One sows seeds only on good
and well prepared soil. Our sower in the parable, however, is not an ordinary
farmer. God is the sower. He sows the seed of his word indiscriminately. He is
not keen on identifying the kind of soil on which the seed falls. He simply
sows because he is generous with his word. He gives everyone the chance to hear
and listen to his word.
The other part of the story presents to us various soil and
ground conditions. The road, the rocky soil, the soil laden with thorns and thistles
and finally the good soil are the types of soil conditions that are presented
to us in the parable. These soil
conditions represent the various interior dispositions of those who hear the word
of God. They represent us and describe how we receive God’s word.
Then, as we read through the parable, it becomes quite clear
that the growth of the seed depends so much on the type of soil the seed lands
on. The soil’s condition determines the seed’s survival and eventual
fruitfulness. So for instance, the seed that fell on the road had no chance of
survival because there was no soil to promote the growth of the seed. The seed
that fell on rocky ground initially germinated but didn’t survive long enough because
the rocky terrain didn’t allow the roots of the young plant to grow deep
enough. The seed that fell on the soil filled with thorns and thistles didn’t
survive as well. The thorns and thistles simply choked up the young growing plant
that eventually died. And lastly, the seed that fell on good soil grew up and
yielded a rich harvest. This tells us that our personal and individual interior
disposition when we receive the word of God matters much and determines to a
certain extent, how this word takes root and bears fruit.
For the greater part of this parable, the seed fails to grow
up and bear fruit because the conditions for growth are not present. Most of
the soil types and ground conditions that are presented by the parable are not
ideal for promoting growth. The parable seemingly wants to tell us that there is
an overall failure for the seed to grow and bear fruit. Apparently, God’s word,
didn’t take root and didn’t survive because of the poor soil conditions
mentioned in the parable. It is only at the end, when the seed falls on good
soil that we see some growth and some fruitfulness.
Rightly then, has Jesus used this parable to illustrate the
journey of God’s word. Much of God’s word comes to waste and remains sterile
and fruitless because people do not have the proper interior disposition in
receiving the word of God. People reject the seed of God’s word and do not
allow it to grow and take root in their lives. It is only the few and the
handful who are considered to be good soil where God’s word survives, thrives
and bears fruit.
On the other hand, this parable also tells us that despite the
numerous instances of failure for the seed to grow, the sower’s work ultimately
succeeds. The beauty of this parable is that it tells us in very simple
language, that despite the many failures on our part to receive the word of
God, we can always remain ever hopeful that in the end, the sower will
ultimately succeed in our life; that one day, in his own time, the sower will
see the fruits of his harvest in us; and that his act of generously sowing the
seed of his word would not have been in vain but would have yielded a rich
harvest in us who have persevered in hope and who have trusted in the Lord’s kindness
and mercy into transforming our hearts into the good soil where God’s word grows,
thrives and bears fruit, a hundred fold, sixty or thirtyfold.
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Prayer
Dear Lord, I didn’t know that my own interior disposition
matters much in letting your word take root in my life. That is why perhaps
your word doesn’t bear fruit in me. Don’t give up on me Lord. Turn me into the
good soil that is receptive to the seed of your word. Remove the rocks, the
thorns and the thistles, the shallowness and the attachments that I have so
that your word may find a receptive place in my heart. With your grace, I hope
that one day your word shall bear fruit in me, a hundred, sixty or thirtyfold.
Amen.
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Assignment
Take a piece of paper. Write
down the ways in which you suppress the growth of God’s word in your life.
Read the parable of the
sower once more then end with this prayer: “ Jesus, make me a good soil for
your word. Amen. “
Quote
Our individual interior disposition determines how the Word
of God takes root and bears fruit in us.
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