MY daily reflection and prayer:
Saturday, September 17, 2016
Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
Dear my friends,
Here is the Gospel for us today according to St. Luke 8:4-15
When a large crowd gathered, with people from one town after another journeying to him, 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 trial. 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.”
This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.
***
SOME times we act like hard ground. We hear Jesus’ word but we let the devil take away the grace Jesus offers us.
We also act like rocky ground. We hear the Word of God with joy and follow Jesus Christ in the peaceful times, but fall away in the times of trial.
We also act like thorny ground. We live in the midst of so many thorns. We are slowed down in our spiritual life by the anxieties, riches and pleasures of life. We fail to produce the mature fruit that Jesus Christ expects.
In the Perpetual Adoration of the Eucharist while adoring Jesus Christ we learn to be fertile soil for Jesus’ word. We let our spiritual roots grow deeper; we let the roots of God’s word grow more profoundly into our hearts.
Let’s pray: Lord Jesus Christ, help us to change so that we will not put any thorns, rocks or hardness of heart in the way of your plans for our life. Let your grace grow in us that we are to be fertile soil for your word. Use us as instruments to save souls and glorify you now and forever. Amen.
Kredit foto: Ilustrasi (Ist)
