Some produce a harvest of even a hundred-fold

Welcome to my blog.

You will find here the daily readings from the Bible, chosen for us by the Catholic Church under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

If we set aside a regular time each day to read, meditate, and pray over the readings, we will receive the fruits of peace and joy. The Holy Spirit who inspired the passage in the first place, will inspire you too as you read in faith.

A prayerful reflection is given. I hope you may find it helpful.

Sunday 12 July 2020

Some produce a harvest of even a hundred-fold

 Ps 16:15

As for me, in justice I shall behold your face;

I shall be filled with the vision of your glory.

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Prayer

O God, who show the light of your truth

to those who go astray,

so that they may return to the right path,

give all who for the faith they profess

are accounted Christians

the grace to reject whatever is contrary to the name of Christ

and to strive after all that does it honour.

We make our prayer through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever.

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First reading

Isaiah 55:10–11 ·

The rain makes the earth fruitful.

Thus says the Lord:

Just as from the heavens

the rain and snow come down

and do not return there

till they have watered the earth,

making it fertile and fruitful,

giving seed to the one who sows

and bread to the one who eats,

so shall my word be

that goes forth from my mouth;

my word shall not return to me void,

but shall do my will,

achieving the end for which I sent it.

Prayerful reflection

Areas of the world where no rain falls become barren deserts. People cannot live there. Those who do scratch out some kind of existence. They are poor and struggle to survive. In areas where there is abundant rain throughout the year, there is abundant growth and prosperity.

God tells us today that in our spiritual life, the Word of God is like the rain in our natural life. If we constantly listen to God speaking to us, then our lives will flourish. If we are deprived of the Word of God, our lives will become arid and barren. In a busy life, just as you put aside time to eat, sleep, relax and exercise, do you put aside time to enter into the presence of God and listen to His Word? If we deprive ourselves of the basic necessities of eating, sleeping, exercise and relaxation, we will soon be sick, weak and die prematurely. Likewise, if we deprive ourselves of the Word of God, we will perish spiritually even more severely. We need to listen to him daily.

We need to read/hear his Word from the Bible, understand the Word, then prayerfully listen to the inspiration of God’s Holy Spirit. As the Spirit inspired the original human author, he will inspire us too. The Word will become a lamp for our life.

The Church, under the Spirit’s inspiration, gives us our daily Word from God. The wise person will daily take time to read, understand, listen in the silence of his/her heart and pray. Like the tree planted by the running streams, they will flourish and bear fruit in every season (Psalm 1).

Do you get your daily spiritual nourishment?

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 65:10, 11, 12–13, 14

The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest.

You have visited the land and watered it;

greatly have you enriched it.

God’s watercourses are filled;

you have prepared the grain.

The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest

Thus have you prepared the land: drenching its furrows,

breaking up its clods,

softening it with showers,

blessing its yield.

The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest.

You have crowned the year with your bounty,

and your paths overflow with a rich harvest;

the untilled meadows overflow with it,

and rejoicing clothes the hills.

The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest.

The fields are garmented with flocks

and the valleys blanketed with grain.

They shout and sing for joy.

The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest

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Second reading

Romans 8:18–23 ·

Creation awaits the revelation of the children of God.

Brothers and sisters: I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed for us. For creation awaits with eager expectation the revelation of the children of God; for creation was made subject to futility, not of its own accord but because of the one who subjected it, in hope that creation itself would be set free from slavery to corruption and share in the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that all creation is groaning in labour pains even until now; and not only that, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, we also groan within ourselves as we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. THE WORD OF THE LORD

Prayerful reflection

In every enterprise we must keep our eyes on what we are aiming for and take the necessary steps.

We must keep our eyes on the goal of creation which we know from God’s revelation. The whole of creation is summed up in Jesus. Although he was God, he emptied himself of his divine dignity and entered into this sinful world as a human being like everyone else. He was part of this fallen world and suffered all the indignity of life in this world. He reached the very depths of human life in his death on the Cross. But then through the Spirit of God, he rose triumphant filled in his human nature with the fullness of God.

God is making the whole of creation to follow the same path. Because of sin the whole of creation is bound in the slavery to corruption. But Jesus has sown the seeds of a glorious renewal of creation. That seed sown in the Death and Resurrection of Jesus will one day flower and yield an immense harvest. We are all longing and groaning for that day. And so we pray daily: thy kingdom come.

Do you respect the earth you walk on, the trees and plants you behold, seeing in them the hand of God and knowing that one day all this will ‘share in the glorious freedom of the children of God’? Do you await the redemption of your body in eternal life?

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Alleluia, alleluia.

The seed is the word of God, Christ is the sower.

All who come to him will have life forever.

Alleluia, alleluia.

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Gospel

Matthew 13:1–23

A sower went out to sow.

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.”

The disciples approached him and said, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” He said to them in reply, “Because knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted. To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away. This is why I speak to them in parables, because they look but do not see, and hear but do not listen or understand. Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says:

You shall indeed hear but not understand,

you shall indeed look but never see.

Gross is the heart of this people,

they will hardly hear with their ears,

they have closed their eyes,

lest they see with their eyes

and hear with their ears

and understand with their hearts and be converted,

and I heal them.

“But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear. Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

“Hear then the parable of the sower. The seed sown on the path is the one who hears the word of the kingdom without understanding it, and the evil one comes and steals away what was sown in his heart. The seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word and receives it at once with joy. But he has no root and lasts only for a time. When some tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, he immediately falls away. The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word, but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word and it bears no fruit. But the seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.” THE GOSPEL OF THE LORD

Prayerful reflection

In the passage from Isaiah which we have read, the rain makes the earth fruitful. Likewise, the Word of God achieves the goal God intends for it. In the Gospel, the Word produces in some a harvest of thirty-fold, sixty-fold and in some even a hundred-fold.

What is the goal or purpose God intends through his Word? What is the harvest that Jesus produces in those who accept his message? It is eternal life. We are made in the image and likeness of God for one purpose only. God made us as living images of himself so that he could have a person to person relationship with us. We are each of us persons – a one and only thinking, willing, loving being. Each of is a unique individual. We are not mass-produced clones. The goal of God’s Word is to lead each of us on from being a unique natural person living in and for this world of material things to having a unique relationship of love and union with himself. This relationship which must begin now will develop into a unique nuptial relationship with God for all eternity. In that final achievement of God, all our desires will be fulfilled. It will be a peace, joy and happiness beyond anything we can imagine now.

How is this to be achieved? We must accept God’s Word with all our hearts. Many, unfortunately, close their hearts and are not interested. God’s call to love has fallen like seed on the road. Some have an initial enthusiasm to listen and come close to Jesus. But it demands faith and they give up after some time. They may get baptised enthusiastically but soon lose their enthusiasm and fall back into their old ways. Others make earning money their goal, or power or prestige or simply desire only to satisfy the cravings of their body. A faith relationship with God has no chance with them.

Others however make their relationship with God in Jesus the goal of their life. They live to nourish this relationship and do not allow it to wither in any way. Depending on their love and earnestness they produce thirty, sixty or even a hundred-fold.

Where do you fit in? We can all grow, how do plan to allow the seed to produce more fruits in your life?

Ps 83: 4-5

The sparrow finds a home,

and the swallow a nest for her young:

by your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God.

Blessed are they who dwell in your house,

for ever singing your praise.

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Prayer

Having consumed these gifts, we pray, O Lord,

that, by our participation in this mystery,

its saving effects upon us may grow.

Through Christ our Lord.

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