S. FAUSTI - "The sower came out to sow": Jesus explains the mystery of His life: it is the same of the Kingdom, the same of His Word in us. He throws the "seed of the Word of the kingdom" with the certainty of the farmer, who knows its vital force. He knows that death does not destroy it, but even activates its potentiality. That the seed does not take root, that if it takes root doesn't grow, that if it grows it is choked , it is the usual condition of any sowing, which then will be fruitful. The seed, now sacrificed, guarantees life for the future. Jesus, the Son of God, is the sower who came out from the Father to sow the fraternity among men. And He is also the seed, the eternal and incorruptible Word that makes son everyone that listens to Him. Moreover He is also the earth, the Son of man in everything similar to us, who will end up in the grave. Besides He is the harvest: in Him the earth has given its fruit (Ps 67: 7). The fruit is the gift of God, it is God Itself who gives Itself. He will always be sower, seed, and earth until when God may be all in everyone (1 Corinthians 15:28). He is not a silly sower who throws his seed on roads, rocks and brambles, but a wise sower, who generously sows the whole field, knowing by ancient experience that this has guaranteed life to his fathers and will also assure it to his children too.If he should control where every seed falls, would reckon anything but his anxieties. So Jesus sows everywhere He does not choose land, He doesn't discard people, we all are God's field (1 Cor 3: 9). The Son of Man is thrown into the heart of the earth, of every man, a sign and a seed of life for everyone. A seed, even after thousands of years, like the one found in the pyramids of Egypt, itdoes not lose its strength: it is always able to germinate. The man also never loses his identity of son; beyond the paths that pass through him, the stones that he hides, and the brambles that dominate him, he is always a beautiful earth, mother who welcomes the seed.
If anything goes wrong, the sowing of the Kingdom is fruitful above every expectation of it. So Jesus, instead of being discouraged by the difficulties, expresses the absolute hope in the Father and in His Word. Sowing is always an act of faith in seed and in land, as living is always an act of faith in God and in man. And it's worth of it: "The valleys are clothed with wheat, all sing and shout of joy" (Ps 65: 1-4). The Lord has not predestined some to understanding, excluding others: He wants all to be saved and to come to the knowledge of truth (1 Tim 2: 4). Anyway the one who doesn't accept Him, he is not abandoned to himself, lost forever. For him the Word is in parables. These offer the seed that will germinate when they who do not want to understand they will learn at least their ignorance and they will be ready to be put themselves to question. The parable is like a closed package : sooner or later someone will open it, if only out of curiosity. Jesus is the One whom the prophets and saints wanted to hear and see: the promised gift of God, God Itself who promised. The Church has the bliss of listening to Him and seeing Him as It is approaching Him, speaks with Him and listens to Him, recognizing its own hardness of heart, deafness and blindness, seeking for healing. Without this attitude, even if it is part of His ones according to the flesh, it remains "outside" like the others. The four types of terrain, more than four types of man, are the four levels of listening that live inside us. The community of believers is called to look to its resistances not to become weak but to know what be its field of struggle and of victory . We are called to acknowledge our resistance, to ask and to obtain freedom from them, and thus to welcome what He wants give to us.
R. Alleluia, alleluia. The seed is the word of God, Christ is the sower. All who come to him will have life forever. R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel MT 13:1-23
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."
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. Responsorial Psalm PS 65:10, 11, 12-13, 14
R. (Lk 8:8) 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. R. 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. R. 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. R. 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. R. The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest. Reading 2 ROM 8:18-23
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 labor pains even until now; and not only that, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, we also groan within ourselves as we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.
S. FAUSTI - "The sower came out to sow": Jesus explains the mystery of His life: it is the same of the Kingdom, the same of His Word in us. He throws the "seed of the Word of the kingdom" with the certainty of the farmer, who knows its vital force. He knows that death does not destroy it, but even activates its potentiality. That the seed does not take root, that if it takes root doesn't grow, that if it grows it is choked
RispondiElimina, it is the usual condition of any sowing, which then will be fruitful. The seed, now sacrificed, guarantees life for the future.
Jesus, the Son of God, is the sower who came out from the Father to sow the fraternity among men.
And He is also the seed, the eternal and incorruptible Word that makes son everyone that listens to Him.
Moreover He is also the earth, the Son of man in everything similar to us, who will end up in the grave.
Besides He is the harvest: in Him the earth has given its fruit (Ps 67: 7).
The fruit is the gift of God, it is God Itself who gives Itself.
He will always be sower, seed, and earth until when God may be all in everyone (1 Corinthians 15:28).
He is not a silly sower who throws his seed on roads, rocks and brambles, but a wise sower, who generously sows the whole field, knowing by ancient experience that this has guaranteed life to his fathers and will also assure it to his children too.If he should control where every seed falls, would reckon anything but his anxieties.
So Jesus sows everywhere
He does not choose land, He doesn't discard people, we all are God's field (1 Cor 3: 9). The Son of Man is thrown into the heart of the earth, of every man, a sign and a seed of life for everyone.
A seed, even after thousands of years, like the one found in the pyramids of Egypt, itdoes not lose its strength: it is always able to germinate.
The man also never loses his identity of son; beyond the paths that pass through him, the stones that he hides, and the brambles that dominate him, he is always a beautiful earth, mother who welcomes the seed.
If anything goes wrong, the sowing of the Kingdom is fruitful above every expectation of it.
RispondiEliminaSo Jesus, instead of being discouraged by the difficulties, expresses the absolute hope in the Father and in His Word. Sowing is always an act of faith in seed and in land, as living is always an act of faith in God and in man. And it's worth of it: "The valleys are clothed with wheat, all sing and shout of joy" (Ps 65: 1-4).
The Lord has not predestined some to understanding, excluding others: He wants all to be saved and to come to the knowledge of truth (1 Tim 2: 4).
Anyway the one who doesn't accept Him, he is not abandoned to himself, lost forever.
For him the Word is in parables. These offer the seed that will germinate when they
who do not want to understand they will learn at least their ignorance and they will be ready to be put themselves to question. The parable is like a closed package : sooner or later someone will open it, if only out of curiosity.
Jesus is the One whom the prophets and saints wanted to hear and see: the promised gift of God, God Itself who promised. The Church has the bliss of listening to Him and seeing Him as It is approaching Him, speaks with Him and listens to Him, recognizing its own hardness of heart, deafness and blindness, seeking for healing. Without this attitude, even if it is part of His ones according to the flesh, it remains "outside" like the others.
The four types of terrain, more than four types of man, are the four levels of listening that live inside us. The community of believers is called to look to its resistances not to become weak but to know what be its field of struggle and of victory . We are called to acknowledge our resistance, to ask and to obtain freedom from them, and thus to welcome what He wants give to us.
Alleluia
RispondiEliminaR. Alleluia, alleluia.
The seed is the word of God, Christ is the sower.
All who come to him will have life forever.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel MT 13:1-23
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."
Reading 1 IS 55:10-11
RispondiEliminaThus 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.
Responsorial Psalm PS 65:10, 11, 12-13, 14
R. (Lk 8:8) 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.
R. 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.
R. 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.
R. 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.
R. The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest.
Reading 2 ROM 8:18-23
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 labor pains even until now;
and not only that, but we ourselves,
who have the firstfruits of the Spirit,
we also groan within ourselves
as we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.