Jer. 1:1,4-10, Ps. 71:1-6,15,17, Matthew 13:1-9
“Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear.” (Matthew 13:8-9)
Once upon a time, a professor sought to teach a young man a lesson while they were having tea. The professor started pouring tea into the young man’s cup and he kept pouring even when the cup was full. The young man shouted, “why are you still pouring more tea, can’t you see, the cup is full already?” The professor explained that this was the condition of the young man’s mind. When the mind is full of its own ideas, it cannot learn anything new.
The mind is to a Christian what the soil is to a seed. When Jesus gave the parable of the Sower, his emphasis was not the carelessness of the Sower but the fact that there are some persons whose minds, like that of the young man, are closed such that they cannot receive or accept the truth. Jesus knew that even if He spends a hundred years preaching, there are still some who would not believe or understand.
Hence Jesus concludes the parable by saying: “He who has ears, let him hear.” Some people do not have ears, that is, they do not like making use of their ears. They are like seeds planted on the roadside, there is no amount of preaching (adding manure or water) that would make them bear fruits.
What kind of mind do I have? Do I have the mind of youth like Jeremiah in today’s first reading? The mind of a youth symbolizes a person who does not believe in himself, a person with very low self-esteem who constantly looks down on himself. When God called Jeremiah, God told him that even before he was born, his name was known already. By touching his lips, God gave Jeremiah the confidence to proclaim the truth without fear.
As children, we all had dreams, we believed that the sky is our limit but as we grew older, we started allowing impurities into our minds such as fear, worry, competition, bitterness, and so on. Our good soils became rocky, thorny, and sandy. Instead of bearing fruits, we allowed the birds to steal our seeds. We allowed thorns of material pursuits to choke God’s words in us. Our hearts have become rocky due to unbelief.
Say to yourself: “It is not too late. I can still change my mind, I can change the way I receive God’s words. I may have ignored God for so long but I can still become a Saint.” Stop looking down on yourself or your past, God can still work great things in you.
Let us pray: Almighty ever-living God, help me to change my attitude towards you that I may begin to bear the right fruits. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Wednesday of week 16 in Ordinary Time. Bible Study: Jer. 1:1,4-10, Ps. 71:1-6,15,17, Matthew 13:1-9).
© Rev. Fr. Evaristus Abu