Matthew 13:1-9

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.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, you sent your Son into the world to sow the good seed of the Kingdom. I want my heart to be rich soil that welcomes the seed of your Word and produces supernatural fruit for the Kingdom. Soften my heart if it is hard and stubborn, remove any rocky obstacles, and cleanse it of any weeds or thorns.

Encountering the Word of God

1. The Book of the Prophet Jeremiah: We begin reading the Book of Jeremiah. Jeremiah served the Lord and his people for more than forty years, from 627 B.C. to around 582 B.C. He served from the reign of the good King Josiah to the time after the fall of Jerusalem in 587 B.C. He was from a priestly family and was called by God in the thirteenth year of the reign of King Josiah. He did not see a vision of God’s glory like the prophet Isaiah, but rather entered into prayerful dialogue with God and understood his prophetic mission. In his dialogue with God, Jeremiah immediately recognized his limitations. He thought he was too young and inexperienced. The Lord tells him not to be afraid, for he will deliver him. The Lord touched Jeremiah's mouth and put his words in the prophet’s mouth. This powerful word will overthrow nations, destroying what existed and planting the seeds of new life (Duggan, The Consuming Fire, 294). Jeremiah teaches us the great truth that God knows each one of us from eternity. He knows us even before we are conceived in the womb. He has a plan for each one of us. It is a plan that is greater than we are able to imagine. This fact does not mean that we will not suffer in life. Jeremiah’s life, for example, was full of suffering on account of God's word. The knowledge that God watches over each one of us, fills us with hope and trust in God. We depend on him from birth and he is our strength. Our task is to declare his justice and salvation to all men and women. We should not fear since the words we speak are God's words, and the strength we enjoy is of divine origin.

2. The Parable of the Sower: In the Gospel of Matthew, we hear the first of a series of parables about the Kingdom of Heaven, the Parable of the Sower. Jesus will later explain that the parable is about the sowing of the word of the Kingdom and how those who hear the word of the Kingdom receive it. Some of those who hear the word do not understand it (symbolized by the path), others welcome it superficially (rocky ground), others are distracted by the world (thorns), others understand it and bear fruit, some thirty-fold, some sixty-fold, others one hundredfold. Jeremiah was a young man when he heard the word of God. We can say that he was like good soil and bore fruit for the Lord, probably one hundredfold. He sought to understand the word; he allowed it to enter deep into his heart and transform his way of life; and he didn't let worldly anxiety choke the word he was given.

3. The Kingdom in the Next Seven Parables: The seven parables that follow will continue to reveal different dimensions of the mystery of the kingdom, first explaining the difference between the children of the kingdom (good seed) and the children of the evil one (bad seed), then, how the kingdom grows (from a small seed to a large plant), third, how the kingdom transforms (yeast in dough), fourth, how the kingdom is not revealed to all (the hidden treasure), fifth, how the kingdom is worth more than everything else (the pearl of great price), sixth, how the separation of the righteous and the wicked will not take place until the end of the age (dragnet), and finally, how they are men who are instructed in the kingdom of heaven (the head of a household who brings out both new and old). 

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, do not let me become indifferent to your Word, or succumb under trial, or be overcome by the anxieties of this passing world. I need your grace, your Word, and your Spirit to produce good and abundant fruit that will last.

Living the Word of God: Am I listening to God’s Word each day with an open and welcoming heart? Do I allow God’s Word to transform my ways of thinking and acting? What obstacles are there to producing abundant fruit for the Kingdom of God?