Tag: sower

Memorial of Saint Alphonsus Liguori

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 13:36-43)

Jesus said to his disciples: “The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. Just as weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his Kingdom all who cause others to sin and all evildoers. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears ought to hear.”

In today’s Gospel, Jesus explains the parable of the weeds among the wheat. In his own words, the Son of God teaches us about the final judgment and the distinction between the righteous and the wicked. The harvest, or final judgment, represents the end of the age when the angels will separate the righteous from the wicked. Jesus also says that he is the sower. Although the enemy who sows the weeds is the devil, Jesus himself is the sower. Dwelling on that offers consolation while considering that the Son of Man will send his angels to toss into the fiery furnace all those who cause others to sin and all evildoers, while the righteous in heaven will shine like the sun.

God, help me understand the parables you shared with the disciples and share today with all believers who hear your word. Evil is a reality in this world, and working through that every day presents me with many more challenges than I can take alone. Stay beside me and be merciful, Lord, as I navigate this world where good and evil exist side by side. Strengthen me to persevere in the face of evil and let me work toward the eternal reward of life in your kingdom.

From the responsorial psalm: “Not according to our sins does he deal with us,
nor does he requite us according to our crimes. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him. Saint Alphonsus Liguori, 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.

Memorial of Saints Joachim and Anne, Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 13:1-9)

And [Jesus] spoke to them at length in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep, and when the sun rose it was scorched, and it withered for lack of roots. Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it. But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold. Whoever has ears ought to hear.”

The responsorial psalm for today asks, “Can God spread a table in the desert?” In today’s Gospel, Jesus answers that question as he speaks in parables to the crowds gathered around him. Through the familiar parable of the sower and his seeds, Jesus shows us the different states of life in which God’s word, the seed, falls. Some fell on the path, some on rocky ground, and some among thorns. “But some seed fell on rich soil,” Jesus says, “and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.” Just as God rained down daily bread in the desert for the Israelites, he rains down his word daily. Through participation in his word and in the sacraments, through God’s grace upon us, hearts soften into rich seedbeds and produce fruit “a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.”

God, help me understand what it means to produce fruit from seed spread by the sower. Your Son is the seed, the Word incarnate. How can I make my heart ready to receive the seed he sows? Throughout the day, the soil of my heart becomes parched, hardened to receiving the seed that you let fall over and over through your love and mercy. Give me the grace today to make my heart ready for you. Let my heart be a witness to the way, as the psalmist sings, you spread a table in the desert.

From the Gospel acclamation: “The seed is the word of God, Christ is the sower; All who come to him will live for ever.” Saints Joachim and Anne, 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.