Wednesday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Reading 1
The words of Jeremiah, son of Hilkiah,
of a priestly family in Anathoth, in the land of Benjamin.
The word of the LORD came to me thus:
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
before you were born I dedicated you,
a prophet to the nations I appointed you.
"Ah, Lord GOD!" I said,
AI know not how to speak; I am too young."
But the LORD answered me,
Say not, "I am too young."
To whomever I send you, you shall go;
whatever I command you, you shall speak.
Have no fear before them,
because I am with you to deliver you, says the LORD.
Then the LORD extended his hand and touched my mouth, saying,
See, I place my words in your mouth!
This day I set you
over nations and over kingdoms,
To root up and to tear down,
to destroy and to demolish,
to build and to plant.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (see 15ab) I will sing of your salvation.
In you, O LORD, I take refuge;
let me never be put to shame.
In your justice rescue me, and deliver me;
incline your ear to me, and save me.
R. I will sing of your salvation.
Be my rock of refuge,
a stronghold to give me safety,
for you are my rock and my fortress.
O my God, rescue me from the hand of the wicked.
R. I will sing of your salvation.
For you are my hope, O Lord;
my trust, O God, from my youth.
On you I depend from birth;
from my mother's womb you are my strength.
R. I will sing of your salvation.
My mouth shall declare your justice,
day by day your salvation.
O God, you have taught me from my youth,
and till the present I proclaim your wondrous deeds.
R. I will sing of your salvation.
Gospel
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."
Comment: Fr. Julio César RAMOS González SDB (Salta, Argentina)
The sower went out to sow and, as he sowed
Today, Jesus —in Matthew's Gospel— starts introducing us into the mysteries of the Kingdom, in that particular way that He likes to use by means of parables.
The seeds are the Word proclaimed and the sower is He. He is not trying to sow in the best possible soil to produce an excellent crop. He has come so that «they may have life, and have it to the full» (Jn 10:10). This is why He does not spare his seeds and generously throws handfuls of them onto the ground, whether it is «along the path» (Mt 13:4), or «on rocky ground» (key verse 5), or «among thistles» (key verse 7), or, finally, «on good soil» (key verse 8).
Thus, the seeds so generously sown produce the expected yield the “toponymic” possibilities allow. The Second Vatican Council tells us: «The word of the Lord is compared to a seed which is sown in a field; those who hear it with faith and are numbered among the little flock of Christ have truly received the Kingdom. Then, by its own power the seed sprouts and grows until the harvest» (Lumen gentium, n. 5).
«Those who hear it with faith», says the Council. You are used to hear it, perhaps to read it and, maybe, to ponder over. Depending on the depth of your faith through hearing, such will be the fruits the crop will bear. Though, these fruits, somehow, are guaranteed by the vital power of the Word-seed, our responsibility in the attentive listening to the Word is no less important. This is why «If you have ears, then hear!» (Mt 13:9).
Today, ask the Lord the prophet’s yearning: «When I found your words, I devoured them; they became my joy and the happiness of my heart, Because I bore your name, O Lord, God of hosts» (Jer 15,16).
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