Daily Gospel Reflection for July 23, 2014

Today's Gospel: Matthew 13:1-9

In the Gospel, Jesus often spoke to the people in parables, or stories. The Parable of the Sower is a parable about the Word of God and how it grows (or does not grow) where it lands. The Gospel is like the seeds from the sower. Our hearts are the “soil” in which the “seeds” land.

If our hearts are hard, like a path, God’s Word will not “sink in” and grow. Temptations and sin will remove the “seeds” from our hearts.

If our hearts are like the rocky soil, some of the seeds of God’s Word may grow, but will easily die if we are not “rooted” in His Word.

If our hearts are filled with “thorns” such as hate, greed, envy, and we are unforgiving, there is no room there for God’s Word to grow and take root. However, if our hearts are rich and nourished by the sacraments and the Gospel, then God’s Word will grow and thrive in us.

Ponder:

Today, as we listen to the Gospel, with which heart are we listening? Are our hearts hard, rocky or cluttered? Or are they rich, nourished and open?

Pray:

Dear Jesus, please grace us with the gift of an open heart, so that Your Word will grow and thrive in us, bearing the fruit of Your Wisdom.

Copyright 2014 Jennifer Gladen