A reading from the gospel according to Luke 8:4-15

4 When a large crowd gathered, with people from one town after another
journeying to Jesus, he spoke in a parable.
5 “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path and was trampled, and the birds of the sky ate it up.
6 Some seed fell on rocky ground, and when it grew, it withered for lack of moisture.
7 Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew with it and choked it.
8 And some seed fell on good soil, and when it grew, it produced fruit a hundredfold.” After saying this, he called out, “Whoever has ears to hear ought to hear.”
9 Then his disciples asked him what the meaning of this parable might be.
10 He answered, “Knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of God has been granted to you; but to the rest, they are made known through parables
so that they may look but not see, and hear but not understand.
11 “This is the meaning of the parable. The seed is the word of God.
12 Those on the path are the ones who have heard, but the Devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts that they may not believe and be saved.
13 Those on rocky ground are the ones who, when they hear, receive the word with joy, but they have no root; they believe only for a time and fall away in time of temptation.
14 As for the seed that fell among thorns, they are the ones who have heard, but as they go along, they are choked by the anxieties and riches and pleasures of life, and they fail to produce mature fruit.
15 But as for the seed that fell on rich soil, they are the ones who, when they have heard the word, embrace it with a generous and good heart, and bear fruit through perseverance.”

Reflection: Ears to hear

Good News: Some people hear the Word and bear fruit through perseverance

Pointers for reflection:
1. A large crowd from many towns was following Jesus. If He were still on earth today, would you do everything in order to meet Him? But then He delegated the task of spreading the Word to His apostles and the apostles in turn delegated the task to their successors and today, billions of people have heard His Word. Through the perseverance of preachers before us, we can see the fruit of their labor. What support do you give to the “Sowers” of the Word today?
2. Some people find it so difficult to understand the scripture but with the help of the Holy Spirit and with perseverance, the knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom can be revealed to us. We praise and thank the Lord for giving us the wisdom to understand His Word. We only need to have EARS that can hear His voice and a heart that accepts His message.
3. Many of us are willing to listen to Jesus but we are often distracted by a lot of worldly things. That is why we easily forget what we hear. Still, there are many more people out there who are deaf and blind spiritually. This is the work of the enemy. 2 Corinthians 4:4 tells us: “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”
4. When we think our heart has stones and thorns that prevent us from growing in faith, we can ask the help of the Holy Spirit to remove those stones and thorns. Like a farmer who cultivates his farm and care his plants tenderly, we can do the same and make our life a good soil.
5. By constantly listening to the Word of God and living its message to the best of our ability, we will surely bear fruit and yield a great harvest.