Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 13, 1-23

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 thirtyfold.
Whoever has ears ought to hear.”

The disciples approached him and said,
“Why do you speak to them in parables?”
He said to them in reply,
“Because knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven
has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted.
To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich;
from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
This is why I speak to them in parables, because
they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand.
Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says:
You shall indeed hear but not understand,
you shall indeed look but never see.
Gross is the heart of this people,
they will hardly hear with their ears,
they have closed their eyes,
lest they see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their hearts and be converted,
and I heal them.

“But blessed are your eyes, because they see,
and your ears, because they hear.
Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people
longed to see what you see but did not see it,
and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

“Hear then the parable of the sower.
The seed sown on the path is the one
who hears the word of the kingdom without understanding it,
and the evil one comes and steals away
what was sown in his heart.
The seed sown on rocky ground
is the one who hears the word and receives it at once with joy.
But he has no root and lasts only for a time.
When some tribulation or persecution comes because of the word,
he immediately falls away.
The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word,
but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word
and it bears no fruit.
But the seed sown on rich soil
is the one who hears the word and understands it,
who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.”

Go out to sow

1. Jesus went out.  Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea.  He shows his closeness and simplicity. This is what we, too, should aim for when we evangelize. We cannot be stiff, rigid evangelizers, or arrogant and unapproachable.  We must be close and accessible people so that we may listen to and accompany others. I am not only referring to me as a priest or to nuns, but I’m also referring to everyone; to you as a husband or wife, being accessible to your spouse and your children. Or you as a worker being close to your co-workers, even if you are the manager. Don’t consider yourself all-powerful. You have Jesus within you, keep your attitude simple and close.

2. He got into a boat. The beautiful thing that Jesus shows us is that before teaching, He first comes together with people with closeness and simplicity, and only then does He begin to talk and teach. If you want to announce the Gospel to someone, do so in the style of Jesus. Begin by being very human, close, friendly; then speak with a clear and practical attitude. Don’t just give people the Catechism telling them to read from number 407 to 2980! Talk to them about God in your own words, maybe even without mentioning the word God. When you speak of “happiness” you are speaking of God; when you speak of “joy” you are speaking of God; when you speak of “life” you are speaking of God. 

3. The Sower. You have God in your heart, and He has planted that little seed. It may seem to be drying up on some days; other days it feels overwhelmed by the things that you are going through; and still other days, it is full of thorns because of the grudges and anger that have remained within you. But the beautiful thing about this seed is that with “living water”, which is God, it instils new life in you and turns you into a beautiful flower that changes your whole landscape. Your seed is watered by prayer, the sacraments and helping others. First check how you are and then begin watering the seed God has planted in you.

Remember that something good is on the way!

God bless you and be with you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.