24th Week in Ordinary Time — Luke 8:4-15
Today Jesus tells the large crowd gathered around him the parable of the ‘sower and the seed.’ Most of us know this parable by heart. As we know, a sower went out to sow his seed. Some of the seeds fell on a frequently used path. Naturally, when the seeds sprouted, the seedlings were trampled by the travelers who used the path or by the birds that ate the seeds before they could sprout. Other seeds landed on rocky ground. When these seeds sprouted, they withered from lack of rain. However, some seeds fell on good soil. These seeds grew and produced a rich harvest of a hundredfold.
Jesus then tells his listeners: “Whoever has ears to hear ought to hear.” This parable is very familiar to us. Familiarity can be a good thing but at times, it keeps us from truly listening to Jesus’ word. Often, we are like children who know what their parent will say to them before they utter the words.
Today I invite you to reflect on the question: Has Jesus’ seed fallen on your path and been trampled on by a day full of activities? Or has his seed fallen on rocky and hard ground that has not been softened by the rain of his love, and the seed has withered away? Or has Jesus’ seed fallen on good ground that was moist and receptive to the seed? Each day we have the opportunity to receive the seed Jesus gives us for that specific day. He doesn’t give us the same seed every day. He knows what we need for this day. However, we are the ones who need to be attentive, open and receptive to the seed. We can nurture it and help it grow and blossom. Or we can ignore it and then it will never grow, develop and produce fruit. It is our choice! What will we choose today?
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