Gospel: Matthew 13:18-23
Now listen to the parable of the sower. When a person hears the message of the kingdom, but does not take it seriously, the devil comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed that fell along the footpath.
The seed that fell on rocky ground stands for the one who hears the word, and accepts it at once with joy. But such a person has no roots, and endures only for a while. No sooner is he harassed or persecuted because of the word, than he gives up.
The seed that fell among the thistles is the one who hears the word; but then, the worries of this life and the love of money choke the word; and it does not bear fruit.
As for the seed that fell on good soil, it is the one who hears the word and understands it; this seed bears fruit and produces a hundred, or sixty, or thirty times more.”

Reflections
“As for the seeds that fell on good soil.”
Jesus explication of the meaning of the parable emphasizes the kind of "soil", or the kind of heart, that receives God's message of love. Only the good soil, enables the seed to grow and bear fruit; it is only the receptive heart that serves as fertile ground for God's offer of forgiveness and love, and nothing else. The receptive heart is the condition through which God's word may develop and bear fruits of goodness, kindness, justice, tolerance, and forbearance. These fruits are dependent on the condition of the human heart, which is characterized by faith and repentance, prayers and acts of kindness, and mercy and com- passion. The parable invites us to reconsider the condition of our heart. How can we continuously transform it?
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