A reading from the gospel of Matthew 13:18-23

Jesus said to his disciples:
18 “Hear the parable of the sower.
19 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.
20 The seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word and receives it at once with joy.
21 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.
22 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.
23 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 thirty-fold.”

Reflection: The Evil One comes and steals away.

Good News: The seed on rich soil will grow and bear fruit a hundred times.

The moral world during the time of Jesus is not very different from our world today. Perhaps it only became worse. The devil worked hard before to hinder or block the word of the Kingdom from reaching the hearts of people. He is working double time now using modern technology to confuse the people and to guide them away from the Kingdom of God.

Let us be wary of the enemy. He comes to our lives in many shapes and forms. He might be using even our preachers or even us to tempt others but we don’t cower in fear. We continue to desire the word of the Kingdom. We continue to listen to the voice of the Lord speaking to us through the Scripture and through the workers of the vineyard.

By His death and resurrection, Jesus triumphed over the evil one. This is the source of our hope that in due time, the devil will be annihilated completely and God will be all in all. (1 Corinthians 15:28)

We continually seek to make our heart a rich soil where the seed of the Kingdom will be planted and grow. Let us take care of it, water it every day and guard against it from wild animals which come and destroy God’s orchard in us. We continually uproot all kinds of weeds like hatred and evil thoughts until one day, Jesus will tell us, “Congratulations. You have yielded fruits a hundred fold.