Wednesday, July 23, 2003
16th Week in Ordinary Time

1st Reading: Ex 16:1-5, 9-15
Gospel: Mt 13:1-9

Jesus left the house and sat down by the lakeside. As many people gathered around him, he got in a boat. There he sat while the whole crowd stood on the shore, and he spoke to them in parables about many things.

Jesus said, "The sower went out to sow and, as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground where there was little soil, and the seeds sprouted quickly because the soil was not deep. But as soon the sun rose the plants were scorched and withered because they had no roots. Again other seeds fell among thistles; and the thistles grew and choked the plants. Still other seeds fell on good soil and produced a crop; some produced a hundredfold, others sixty and others thirty. If you have ears, then hear!"

Commentary

Our disposition towards life is a most important factor in determining whether we end up successful and happy or frustrated and disappointed. However good the odds are, if a person has the attitude of a loser from the start, there's no way he'd succeed. Likewise, however difficult the odds stacked against him might be, if he believes in himself well enough, the chances of his doing well are greatly increased.The same situation holds true of our life of faith. However caring and loving God the Sower might be, however great the seeds he sows and seeks to plant in our hearts, a great deal of whether these will grow and bear fruit really depends on the 'soil' of our own disposition. If our hearts are thorny, or rocky, or simply infertile to receive his message, we can't expect it to grow and bear fruit. The most that we could expect is to see some growth for a while, only to see it whither and die later on. But if we are like 'good soil', fertile, ready, and eager to receive God's word and equally enthusiastic about putting it into practice in our everyday lives, the seeds planted in our hearts would not only grow, but would bear great fruit. God has planted the seeds of his message in our hearts. But it is up to us to have the right disposition, not only to accept it with our whole selves, but also to cooperate with it by nourishing it constantly.

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