24th Week in Ordinary Time
23rd September 2023 (Saturday) Readings and Reflection
Psalter: Week 4
Reading of the Day
First Reading: 1 Timothy 6:13-16
Beloved: I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.
Psalm 100:1b-2, 3, 4, 5 R. (2)
R/. Come before the Lord, Singing for JOy
Alleluia
V/. Alleluia R/. Alleluia
V/. Blessed are those who, hearing the Word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.
R/. Alleluia
Gospel : Luke 8:4-15
At that time: When a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable, “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it. And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold.” As he said these things, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, he said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’ Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away. And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.
Daily Gospel Reflection
Highlight: Receptivity is pivotal!
Guidlines: God’s grace is never lacking or scarce. It is abundant and constant. All that is needed is receptivity and cooperation to toil and bear fruit{alertSuccess}
1. The parable of the sower in the gospel is a very familiar one and already we have reflected on it a couple of times. However, we can always reiterate the core message, even if we may not offer a totally new message. The message that can be life-steering is: Life becomes fruitful by being receptive and productive.
2. Life is meaningful when it is truly fruitful. Many live meaninglessly because they fail to live that meaning and worth of life in bearing fruits. Unfortunately many seek the value and fulfillment of life in false and shallow things like sex, comfort, power, etc. Many mistake success as the fruitfulness of life. Some others consider pleasure and gratification as fruitfulness.
3. This is in contrast to what St Paul exhorts in 1 Timothy 6. 13-16 in the first reading: “I charge you to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ”.
4. It is in this context Jesus proves this worldly thinking wrong. Fruitfulness has nothing to do with one’s possession or gratification. Real fruitfulness is a matter of spiritual fecundity. It is one’s total receptivity to the seed of God’s Word and abundant productivity in fruits of good character and actions.
5. Fruitfulness requires docility that is humble and prompt (unlike the roadside soil), a depth that remains rooted and firm in God (unlike the rocky ground), resistance and perseverance to grow amidst bushes and thorns (unlike the thorny soil), and assiduity to cultivate and produce an abundant harvest (like the fertile soil).
6. At this point, it is also good to bear in mind the magnanimity of God. He is never tired of supplying seeds in abundance irrespective of the type of response. However, there is not much use in extolling the greatness of God’s Word which is the seed. It is more useful to examine and improve the quality of the soil of our hearts and lives.
Practice: Let us be abundant in fruits and not merely in seeds of good desires, intentions, and words. Let us toil diligently, cultivate responsibly and bear fruits of good actions abundantly{alertSuccess}