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Gospel: Mt. 13: 1-9
On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea.
Such large crowds gathered around him
that he got into a boat and sat down,
and the whole crowd stood along the shore.
And he 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 Gospel of the Lord.
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Whenever a person begins telling a joke, the audience gets ready to laugh. Leaning forward, they focus on every word of the joke teller, waiting for the punch line.
And when delivered, they laugh!
They were prepared to do so.
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This is the type of listener whom Jesus blesses in today’s Gospel – the one who is prepared to respond to his Word.
It’s the type of person who leans forward when the Gospel is proclaimed, who focuses on every word Jesus says, and waits for their daily instruction.
Once the Gospel is proclaimed, they act on it.
They were prepared to do so.
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How responsive am I to the Word of God?
Many of us hear it daily. Does it change us? Does it sink into us? Or is it blown away by the stress and busyness of life?
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“Some seed fell on rich soil,” Jesus says, “and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold. Whoever has ears ought to hear.”
Much like a person waiting for a punchline, may we lean in when the Gospel is proclaimed, preparing our hearts to receive our daily instruction, ready to act on it.
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