September 18, 2004 - Saturday, 24th Week in Ordinary Time

THE SEED OF THE WORD

Readings:
1 Cor 15:35-37, 42-49; Ps 56:10c –12, 13 –14; Lk 8:4-15

Opening Prayer

Lord our God,
we thank you for speaking to us
the word of your Son Jesus Christ
and sowing in our hearts and minds
the seeds of faith.
Open our ears to his word, day after day,
that it may grow in us
in pain and effort and joy,
that it be rooted ever more deeply
and bear fruits of justice and love,
until the final coming of Jesus Christ,
your Son and our Lord for ever.

Liturgy of the Word

First Reading Introduction:
       How will the dead rise? A person dies but dies like a seed and from that seed a new plant is born and rises in glory.

First Reading: 1 Cor 15:35 –37, 42 – 49

Brothers and sisters:
Someone may say, “How are the dead raised? With what kind
of body will they come back?”
You fool! What you sow is not brought to life unless it
dies. And what you sow is not the body that is to be but a bare
kernel of wheat, perhaps, or of some other kind.
So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown corruptible;
it is raised incorruptible. It is sown dishonorable; it is raised
glorious. It is sown weak; it is raised powerful. It is sown a natural
body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural
body, there is also a spiritual one.
So, too, it is written, “The first man, Adam, became a living
being,” the last Adam a life-giving spirit. But the spiritual was
not first; rather the natural and then the spiritual. The first man
was from the earth, earthly; the second man, from heaven. As
was the earthly one, so also are the earthly, and as is the heavenly
one, so also are the heavenly. Just as we have borne the
image of the earthly one, we shall also bear the image of the
heavenly one.

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 56:10c –12, 13 –14

R. I will walk in the presence of God,
in the light of the living.

Now I know that God is with me.
In God, in whose promise I glory,
in God I trust without fear;
what can flesh do against me?
R. I will walk in the presence of God,
in the light of the living.

I am bound, O God, by vows to you;
your thank offerings I will fulfill.
For you have rescued me from death,
my feet, too, from stumbling;
that I may walk before God in the light of the living.
R. I will walk in the presence of God,
in the light of the living.

Gospel Introduction:
       We hear today Luke's version of the parable of the seed. In Jesus' original intent it pictured the difficult growth of the kingdom towards its final accomplishment, of which also Paul speaks in the first reading. Luke applies it in the explanation of the parable to the reception of the word of God and the life of faith in people's hearts. God sows the seed, but people receive it differently and react to it in various ways, for it is hard to let it grow and remain loyal to it in the humble and sometimes difficult realities of daily life. How does God's word grow and bear fruit in us?

Gospel Reading: Lk 8:4-15

As a great crowd gathered and people came to him from every town, Jesus began teaching them through stories, or parables, "The sower went out to sow the seed. And as he sowed, some of the grain fell along the way, was trodden on and the birds of the sky ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, and no sooner had it come up than it withered, because it had no water. Some fell among thorns; the thorns grew up with the seed and choked it. But some fell on good soil and grew, producing fruit - a hundred times as much." And Jesus cried out, "Listen then, if you have ears to hear!"
The disciples asked him, "What does this story mean?" And Jesus answered, "You have been granted to know the mystery of the kingdom of God. But to others it is given in the form of stories, or parables, so that seeing they may not perceive and hearing they may not understand."

Now, this is the point of the parable:

The seed is the word of God. Those along the wayside are people who hear it, but immediately the devil comes and takes the word from their minds, for he doesn't want them to believe and be saved. Those on the rocky ground are people who receive the word with joy, but they have no root; they believe for a while and give way in time of trial. Among the thorns are people who hear the word but as they go their way, are choked by worries, riches, and the pleasures of life; they bring no fruit to maturity. The good soil, instead, are people who receive the word and keep it in a gentle and generous mind, and persevering patiently, they bear fruit.

Commentary

THE soil is the heart, the place where the seed of God's word is to be received and hidden, and from where it will appear in its own time in a revolution of freshness and new life. But the difficulty is that the soil is never perfect.

1. "Some seed fell along the path…." The path is where everyone walks: it's public. It's not a place of interest in itself; it leads elsewhere. When you are on a path you are between places, you are nowhere. The path has no interiority. If I'm always on the way to somewhere else (and which of us isn't nowadays?) I'm nowhere, and the word of God cannot find a place in me.

2. "Some seed fell on rocky ground…." The heart can be like a rock or a stone: solid, impenetrable, self-enclosed, separate, unloving and unloved…. Throughout the ages it has been a common metaphor for the heart. "I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh" (Ezk11:19).

3. "Some seed fell among thorns…." It has a chance to grow there, but everything else is growing there too. My power is divided into a thousand parts, and only one is available for the word of God. It's like flicking through the pages of a magazine: nothing remains in the heart, even though everything was promised.

4. "Some seed fell on good soil…." It's good soil when none of the above applies. Then the heart is deep and soft and silent. Then I may hear the word of God.

Intentions

- Lord, give wisdom and courage to all teachers in the Church, that they may help us understand your word and proclaim it as Good News, we pray:

- Lord, inspire by your word all the mighty of this earth, that they may join forces to bring to all lasting peace, food and human dignity, we pray:

- Lord, make us receptive to your word. Free us from banality and fear for our security and certainties. Give us new insight in your message, that we may live as we believe, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts

Lord our God,
accept in this bread and this wine
our eagerness to receive your Son
and to listen to his word
with noble and generous hearts.
Give him to us as our companion on the road,
that he may keep speaking to us
in people and in the events of life
and that we may understand him
and bear a rich harvest
that lasts for ever and ever.

Prayer after Communion

Lord our God,
let our words and deeds
echo the message of your Son
and fill us with his life.
Make our human words reliable
and serve unity and the truth.
Pour out your compassion in them,
your love and your joy,
that they may bring strength,
insight and friendship,
by the power of Jesus Christ,
your living word and our Lord for ever.

Blessing

Let the seed of God's word fall in the good soil of our eager and receptive hearts, and may almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

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