23 September 2024 - Monday of the 25th week of Ord.
Homily
Following the parable of the seed that fell on land of various qualities, and the explanation of this parable, Luke adds here, one would dare say in a jumble, several sayings of Jesus that are found elsewhere in the Gospel of Matthew. I have to confess that I scratched my head a bit trying to find a way to comment on this text. Finally, two words jumped out at me towards the end of this short text. The word “ therefore “ and the word ” listen “ -- ” Be careful how you listen “. This ‘therefore’ (found in the original Greek - oun - but sadly missing from the current French lectionary translation) indicates that the next few words will be the conclusion of all that has gone before - not just of the few lines that form today's Gospel reading, but of the whole parable and its explanation. The conclusion is to be attentive to the way in which we receive the Word of God.
Every day we hear many parts of Scripture at the Divine Office, during the celebration of the Eucharist and in our personal reading of Scripture. Nor should we forget all that God says to us through the people around us, the events of our personal and community lives, the events of the world and of the Church; and what he says to us in the depths of our hearts.
And, ultimately, it is our hearts that are at stake. Are they rocky ground, a field covered with brambles or good soil? Let us allow ourselves to be challenged throughout the day by the words of Jesus, as recorded by Luke: ‘ Be careful how you listen ’.
And let's not forget that today we are also remembering Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, better known as Padre Pio.