Fr Paul reads from the Gospel of Luke (8: 4-15) in which Jesus tells the parable of the sower and explains its meaning to his disciples.

Luke in his Gospel now comes to a number of parables on the Kingdom and, today, uses the parable of the sower.  This version of the parable is shorter than the versions in Matthew and Mark.  Luke tends to leave out the agricultural references and really concentrates on the disposition of those who receive the seed, those who receive the Word.  The questions Luke asks are, ‘What is in their hearts? How do their hearts receive the seed? How do their hearts receive the Word?’

This concentration on the heart and the disposition of people’s hearts is born out at the end when we hear it is the people with noble and generous hearts who through perseverance hold on and yield a harvest. Luke treasures the virtue of perseverance as we can see in Chapter 21 of his Gospel.

Mindful of this message today, Fr Paul says, for our reflection, we might ask ourselves ‘What is the state of my heart at the moment? Is my heart ready to receive the Word of God?’