First Reading: (1 Timothy 6:13–16)
Responsorial Psalm: (Psalm 100)
Response: Come before the Lord, singing for joy.
Gospel: (Luke 8:4–15)
Reflection
As someone who started life as a farmer in Eremon, a small farming village, I always love when the Gospel reading or parable is about farming. It makes the understanding more vivid and engraves it well into memory, the Word.
Back home in Ghana, farming is done in the rainy season, as we call it. We only have two seasons, rainy and dry, of course. When farming is done, seeds are sown. Those seeds are always at risk of being eaten by the birds of the sky or the ground rodents. If that does not happen, the ants could attack, and even if all that fails, the seeds may germinate and take root. Sometimes the seed goes through all these challenges and yet the plants will not yield very well when it is time for harvesting. It could be because of where they were planted, rocky ground or fertile ground or because of rain or drought. This could go on, and on but you get the picture.
Now you understand what I meant by my love for the Gospel of farming and the imagery it brings.
Today’s Gospel parable echoes that and reminds us that the Word of God is like seed, full of life and potential. God is the perfect farmer, and His Word is always the good seed. The real question is: what kind of soil is our heart?
Some hearts are hardened paths where the Word never sinks in. Some are rocky, joyful at first, but faith dries up when trials come. Others are thorny, choked by worries, riches, and pleasures that leave no room for God. Only hearts that are open, receptive, and persevering produce fruit.
At every Mass we make a sign on our forehead, lips, and heart before the Gospel is proclaimed. Reflect on this the next time you are at mass. This gesture is not symbolic only, it is a prayer that God’s Word may enlighten our minds, be spoken on our lips, and most importantly, take root in our hearts. For it is the heart that must change.
We make our hearts bad soil when we argue with God’s Word, procrastinate in repentance, refuse correction, or hold on to hatred, envy, or unforgiveness. We make our hearts good soil when we welcome the Word with humility, let it challenge us, and allow it to shape our choices and actions.
If today we truly lift up our hearts to the Lord, our lives and our world will never be the same. Today, let us not only hear God’s Word but let it transform our lives. May our hearts be broken, softened, and made fertile ground where God’s Word can grow and bear lasting fruit. Just as farmland undergoes preparation before the seeds are sown and take root, sometimes with many measures in place, including scarecrows to prevent birds and other prey from devouring the seeds. So must we do the same with the Word of God. Protect it and let it take roots. Amen.
Have a wonderful Saturday.
God bless you.
-Pal Ronnie-
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