THE WORD

Jer 1,1.4-10 / 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 thirty-fold. Whoever has ears ought to hear.”

IN OTHER WORDS

The parable of the sower reminds us of four hearers of the word of God:

(a) The hearer with a shut mind. This person does not enjoy growth in society - new discoveries that widen horizons, the ever wonderful unfolding of God’s creation. Prejudice can shut a mind, blinding one to things that he doesn’t want to see, refusing to recognize his shortcomings and failures. He feels inadequate in facing the challenges of life.

(b) The hearer with a mind like a shallow ground. This person easily gets excited with new ideas but also easily wanes in enthusiasm when other interesting stuff comes along. Anything new becomes an obsession. He fails to highlight the importance of spiritual matters, neglecting to reflect and meditate on things of lasting value.

(c) The hearer who has so many interests in life that often the most important things get crowded out. His disorganized mind fails to focus on what matters most; a mind that is anxious to accommodate everything as urgent and important. He can be a member of various groups but may not be able to cope with the assigned tasks. His many interests makes religious matters seem like second fiddle because these require understanding, reflection, and appropriate action. Consequently, his spirituality suffers.

(d) The hearer whose mind is like a good ground. He is very receptive - willing to listen and meditate on the received word. He has a heart that absorbs the message and actively implements its demands. He pursues the message with a joyful heart and ful lls it to the best of his ability. And the result is always satisfying and ful lling.

  • Fr. Jojo Caballes, SVD | (SHP, Kamuning, QC)

The Word in other words 2016

An annual project of Logos Publications, The WORD in Other Words Bible Diary contains daily scripture readings and reflections written by priest, brothers, and sisters of the three congregations founded by St. Arnold Janssen (the SVD, SSpS, and SSpSAP). It hopes to serve as a daily companion to readers who continually seek the correlation of the Word of God and human experience.