A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (Lk 8:4-15)
Jesus answered his disciples: “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.”
After Jesus tells the parable of the sower to a large crowd, Luke tells us that he calls out to them: “Whoever has ears to hear ought to hear.” By saying this, Jesus explicitly states that the message of the Gospel is for everybody, that the word of God is meant to go out to peoples of all nations. And at the end of the parable, what happens to the seed that falls on good soil? They are the ones, Jesus says, who bear the fruit of the word that first blossoms forth through perseverance and grows to produce a bountiful harvest in knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of God. An abundant harvest means there is more than enough for oneself and others.
Father in heaven, help guide me today to make myself rich soil for your word. Keep me close to you and away from any path that exposes the seed to destruction through temptations, worldly anxieties, or the lure of riches and pleasures. Give me the grace of greater love for the gift of your word, the wisdom to guard it and cultivate it within me. Give me the means to let it take root in my heart.
From the responsorial psalm: “Blessed are they who have kept the word with a generous heart and yield a harvest through perseverance.” Saint Padre Pio, pray for us!
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.