Good News A33
Sow Seeds in Rich Soil
Fifteenth Sunday in
Ordinary Time
Matthew 13:1-23
New American Bible
Matthew
13:1-23 Bible Gateway New International Version
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.
When you plant seeds, you expect
them to grow. If you want to grow one
plant, you put more than one seed in the hole because some seeds won’t grow at
all. If there is no place for the roots
to hold on to, the plant will die. If
the thorns and weeds strangle the plant, it will die. If it doesn’t have water, it will die.
God gives you different things to nourish you as his
seed. He gives you the Church as a root
to hang onto. You get spiritually
uplifted when you pray at Church. When
more than one is gathered and pray for the same thing in Jesus’ name, what they
ask for will be granted. If you watch a
plant, it will grow towards the light.
Its stem and leaves will all lean towards the light. God gives you Holy Eucharist as food to help
you grow closer to him, the light of your World. God gives you food like the sun gives
nourishment to the plants on earth.
Plants grow long and strong roots to trap every bit of water they can
find. They grow towards the water
source. The source of your water is God
the Father, who provides you with everything you need. God gives you His blood to drink, so you will
not die of thirst. He does not want your
soul to dry up and shrivel. When weeds
squeeze and wrap themselves around a plant, it cannot grow. The weeds try to get all the water and food
so that the plants don’t have any nourishment.
When evil weeds grow thick around you, God will send his weed-eating
grace to help you dig your way out of the trouble you see. All you have to do
is ask him in the name of Jesus Christ.
Then you will bloom, and bloom! You will be one of God’s little flowers
in
Say the “Our Father” and tell
him thank you for the gifts he sends to help you grow closer to him. Tell God that you are so glad that he helped
you understand his word so that the weeds will not choke you. Ask him to help your seed to bloom so that
you will have life everlasting with him in heaven.
“Our Father, who art in Heaven,
Hallowed
be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy
will be done,
On
earth as it is in heaven.
Give
us this day, our daily bread.
And
forgive us our trespasses,
As
we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.”
Copyright ©2002, 2004 Joan Y. Edwards