Let God’s Seed of Word Grow In Our Heart

Weekly Missionary Reflection
15th Sunday in ordinary time, 16 July 2023
Isa. 55:10-11; Ps. 65:10abcd,10e-11,12-13,14; Rom. 8:18-23; Matt. 13:1-23 (long)

The story of today’s Gospel invites us to ponder Jesus’ teaching to the crowds using parables. On this occasion, Jesus used the parable of a sower. For some of us who have knowledge of plantation, perhaps, what the sower did in Jesus’ parable doesn’t make sense. A sower must prepare the soil or planting media before sowing the seeds instead of just scattering the seeds without checking the soil condition. However, the parable of the sower in today’s Gospel invites us to ponder more on the situation that occurs when God bestows “His seed of word” in the heart of humans.

God loves humans so much that He pours out His love to everyone without discriminating. Each of us receives the same grace of God. The soil in this parable is trying to describe the different moods of each of us. Through this story, Jesus would like to make the people listening to His teaching understand about the condition that makes the seed of faith grows in a different situation. Through this parable, we are also invited to ponder our inner situation before the word of the Lord. God loves us unconditionally and we are given the freedom to proclaim His love to others through our lives.

We are the ones who know our heart situation when we are listening to the Lord’s words. Do our fears make us dry and unable to grow in faith? Do we allow ourselves to follow the temptation of the new age that makes our faith fade? Or after knowing our inner situation, we are able to change and allow the seed of faith to grow and bear fruit?

Beloved brothers and sisters, God’s words poured into our hearts will never become vain. He will always find a way to grow and bear fruit. Therefore, let’s humbly pray that we are enabled to change ourselves and allow God’s love to grow, so our words and deeds, the fruits of faith can be felt by others. God bless.

(Br. Kornelius Glossanto, SX – Xaverian Missionary)

DAILY DEDICATED PRAYER

Lord, our Father, I present my today prayer, thought, word, work, joy, and sorrow in unity with Your Son, Jesus Christ, who always presents Himself in the Eucharist for the salvation of the world. May the Holy Spirit animating Jesus, also be my guidance and strength today so that I am ready to be the witness of Your love.

Together with St. Mary, Mother of Jesus, and the Church, in particular, I present my prayer for our Pope and apostle prayer of the Indonesian Church of this month:

For a Eucharistic life
We pray that Catholics may place the celebration of the Eucharist at the heart of their lives, transforming human relationships in a very deep way and opening to the encounter with God and all their brothers and sisters.

Political awareness We pray that many young Catholics are called to enter politics and become government officials, so they can get involved in making policies for the sake of national development and solution to social problems. 

Amen.