Wednesday, July 23, 2014 16th Week in Ordinary Time 1st Reading: Jer 1:1,4-10 Gospel: Matthew 13:1-9
Jesus left the house and sat down by the lakeside. As many people gathered around him, he got in a boat. There he sat while the whole crowd 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 the sun rose the plants were scorched and 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 produced a hundredfold, others sixty and others thirty. If you have ears, then hear!”
D@iGITAL-EXPERIENCE (Daily Gospel in the Assimilated Life Experience) There are four kinds of grounds in today’s Gospel parable, namely, the good ground, the footpath, and the rocky and thorny grounds. We know the meaning of these symbols as applied to the human heart in relation to the Word of God. But we must admit that the condition of the heart alone cannot take all the blame. Media should also take some beatings. Media’s irresponsibility has contributed to making our hearts insensitive through the grotesque presentation of crime, sex and violence. Media may cry foul for being made the scapegoat. But media has really become not just the planter of bad seeds but the destroyer of good grounds. Hearts that choke the seed of God’s Word are classified as hearts of thorns. For as long as we are alive we will always have worries and apprehensions. But we can do something to protect the seed of the Word from getting choked. If we cannot take away the thorns, we can do something to make the Word grow higher than them by promoting good values.
Hearts of lukewarm Christians can be classified as hearts of stones with very little surface soil. The seed grows for a while but soon dies because the soil is too shallow for the roots to develop. To lukewarm Christians Scriptures give this warning: “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” (Rev. 3:15). Lukewarm Christians should seek to deepen their relationship with the Lord so that faith could take roots and grow strong.
All hearts are unworthy of the seed of God’s Word. But to those who strive, grace is never wanting. – Rev. Fr. Dan Domingo P. delos Angeles, Jr., DM. Email: dan.delosangeles@gmail.com. Website: www.frdan.org.
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