Author: admin

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Gospel: Matthew 13: 18-23

Jesus said to his disciples:

“Hear the parable of the sower.
The seed sown on the path is the one who hears the word of the Kingdom
without understanding it,
and the Evil One comes and steals away
what was sown in his heart.
The seed sown on rocky ground
is the one who hears the word and receives it at once with joy.
But he has no root and lasts only for a time.
When some tribulation or persecution comes because of the word,
he immediately falls away.
The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word,
but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word
and it bears no fruit.
But the seed sown on rich soil
is the one who hears the word and understands it,
who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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There are different ways of accepting the Word of God. The fruit it bears depends on a person’s heart.

In the Gospel today, the same Word is spoken to different listeners. Some receive it without understanding; the Evil One whispers lies in their heart, stealing what was sown.

Others receive the Word with joy, but their faith lacks any root. Once a trial comes their way, their faith is the first thing to go.

Others receive the Word, but prefer the things of this world to the things that are eternal.

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Finally, there are those whose hearts are like rich, fertile soil. They hear the Word and are permanently changed by it.

But consider the effort it takes to make soil fertile – and by extension, a human heart open to the Word of God.

In order to make soil fertile, you must dig into it; break it; and repeatedly separate it. That period of chaos is what opens the ground, allowing it to receive seeds, and ultimately, to give life.

Any sturdy plant was once a tiny seed placed inside broken, fertile soil.

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What does this mean for us?

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Our hearts are most fertile after being broken. 

Think of any stressful, frustrating, or traumatic experience. In those moments, it feels like we’ve been tossed about – broken inside – much like rich, fertile soil.

They are blessed, Jesus says, the ones who turn to him in that hour. It’s then that the Word of God has the greatest chance to take deep root within us, to change us, and to bear good fruit.

As Saint Paul says, “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”

These gifts come from within; they’re the fruit of a broken heart receptive to the Word of God.

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How receptive am I to the Word of God? 

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“The seed sown on rich soil,” Jesus says, “is the one who hears and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.”

May we turn to the Lord in our darkest hours, knowing that when we’re broken, the Word has the greatest potential to take root within, transforming us for the better.

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Image credits: (1) Tumblr, Amazing Inspirational Quotes (2) TechCrunch (3) Iowa Agriculture Literacy

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Gospel: John 20: 1-2, 11-18

On the first day of the week,
Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early in the morning,
while it was still dark,
and saw the stone removed from the tomb.
So she ran and went to Simon Peter
and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them,
“They have taken the Lord from the tomb,
and we don’t know where they put him.” 

Mary stayed outside the tomb weeping.
And as she wept, she bent over into the tomb
and saw two angels in white sitting there,
one at the head and one at the feet
where the Body of Jesus had been.
And they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?”
She said to them, “They have taken my Lord,
and I don’t know where they laid him.”
When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there,
but did not know it was Jesus.
Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?
Whom are you looking for?”
She thought it was the gardener and said to him,
“Sir, if you carried him away,
tell me where you laid him,
and I will take him.”
Jesus said to her, “Mary!”
She turned and said to him in Hebrew,
“Rabbouni,” which means Teacher.
Jesus said to her,
“Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father.
But go to my brothers and tell them,
‘I am going to my Father and your Father,
to my God and your God.’”
Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples,
“I have seen the Lord,”
and then reported what he told her.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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I admire Mary Magdalene so much in this Gospel passage. She represents a soul entirely possessed with love for God.

When she reaches the empty tomb, she’s overwhelmed with anxiety: “They have taken away my Lord!” she says.

“Where did they lay him? Where could he be? Give him to me!” she says frantically. 

She tells everyone she sees that Jesus is gone. She tells Peter and John; she tells the angels in the tomb; she even tells Jesus himself, whom she mistakes for a gardener.

“Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you laid him, and I will take him.”

Mary is so preoccupied with finding Jesus that she doesn’t even mention his name. She presumes that everyone is in the same state of mind that she is; that everyone is looking for “him”; that everyone cares about “him” as much as she does.

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Mary shows us that, when love of God takes possession of a soul, there is no longer room in it for contrary loves or desires. Everything becomes directed towards God and his glory.

Nothing else – and no one else – is enough. 

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Like Mary Magdalene, is our soul consumed entirely with love for God? Or are there competing desires lingering in our heart?

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May Mary Magdalene, the first person to see the Risen Lord, intercede on our behalf, that one day the whole world will be consumed with love for Christ.

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Image credits: (1) Alexander Andreyevich Ivanov, Appearance of Jesus Christ to Maria Magdalena (2) JW.org (3) Christ Risen from the Tomb, Borgogne

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Matthew 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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When a person begins telling a joke, the listeners around him or her immediately prepare themselves to laugh. They lean forward, focus on every word, and joyfully wait for the punch line.

And when delivered, they laugh.

They prepared themselves to do so.

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This is the type of listener Jesus blesses in today’s Gospel – one who is prepared to respond to his Word. It’s the type of person who leans forward when the Lord speaks, who focuses on every word, and who joyfully waits for his instruction.

And when given, they act.

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How responsive am I to the Word of God? 

Many of us hear it every day. 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, listen to the Word of God, and joyfully respond when he speaks.

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Image credits: (1) Depositphotos (2) The Optimist Daily (3) Theirworld