Reading 1
1 Tm 6:13-16
Beloved:
I charge you before God, who gives life to all things,
and before Christ Jesus,
who gave testimony under Pontius Pilate
for the noble confession,
to keep the commandment without stain or reproach
until the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ
that the blessed and only ruler
will make manifest at the proper time,
the King of kings and Lord of lords,
who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light,
and whom no human being has seen or can see.
To him be honor and eternal power. Amen.
Gospel
Lk 8:4-15
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.”
Meditation Luke 8:4-15
There’s something miraculous about the growth of a seed.
When planted in rich soil and watered regularly, this small, hard pellet slowly turns into something completely different. We don’t have to tell the seed how to do it. It just knows what to do. And in that mysterious process, we see God’s handiwork.
There’s also something miraculous about the seed of God’s word. When it is planted in our hearts, it sprouts and transforms us into something more than we once were—a reflection of Jesus himself. We don’t know exactly how it happens, but we do know that it is also God’s handiwork.
As you pray about this familiar parable of the sower and seed today, try imagining yourself as the sower. You have been entrusted with the word of God, and he is calling you to plant the seeds of his gospel through your actions and words. It’s really a privileged calling, for when you do sow these seeds, you are beginning the process of growth and transformation for whoever will receive them—the “good soil” of the people around you.
So how exactly should you sow? It begins in your own heart. When you pray the Scriptures, you begin to take on God’s mind, making you more likely to think and act like him. You are more willing to forgive, or you are more able to speak in a kind and gentle tone—even in a stressful situation. When someone sees you acting this way, they get a glimpse of God at work in you, and they are touched by it. You have sown a seed!
You can also sow by telling someone about your experience of the Lord. Maybe someone you know—maybe even your own child—is searching for meaning in life. Be bold, and find an opportunity to talk to him or her about your journey. Offer to pray with someone who is sick, discouraged, or bound up in fear and anxiety. Share about a time when you saw God answering your own prayer.
You don’t have to worry if these seeds fall on rocky or dry ground. As St. Paul once wrote: “I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused the growth” (1 Corinthians 3:6). God always takes our seeds and turns them into something beautiful!
“Lord, help me see all the opportunities to sow the seeds of your love. As I plant these seeds, I trust in you to cause the growth.”
1 Timothy 6:13-16; Psalm 100:1-5
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