Friday 26 July 2024

Today is Friday 26 July, the feast of Saints Joachim and Anne, in the 16th week of Ordinary Time. Leslie Jordan with the Porter’s Gate sings, ‘Your Work Is Happening Here’. Where can you see the Lord’s work happening around you? She gently reads to her child She plants the tiniest seed She chops then she seasons the soup that is simmering It is beautiful to Me Every spoon placed in the drawer Every hair combed by the breeze Every mess cleaned and mistake that’s forgiven It’s beautiful to me Slowly, slowly roots will grow to where they find water Slowly, slowly Your work is happening here She loses patience again. She’s overshadowed by fear Still she gets on with what needs to get finished It’s beautiful to me Slowly, slowly roots will grow to where they find water Slowly, slowly Your work is happening here “I have begun a good work here and I will finish it You have begun a good work here and I will finish it” Today’s reading is from the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew 13:18-23 ‘Hear then the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.’ Consider the different types of soil described in the parable. Life presents us with both opportunities and challenges. Take a moment to identify moments in your life when you have been each type of soil. Consider what it means to be good soil. Reflect on times when you have received God’s word deeply and let it transform your life. How might you find ways to cultivate your spiritual life to be more receptive, understanding, and fruitful? As you listen to the passage again, consider the thoughts, feelings, and reflections that arise from the parable. In the loving presence of the God who is Father, ask for the grace to be more like the good soil, to be open to receiving and nurturing the word of God. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.