Memorial of Saint Pius of Pietrelcino, priest
(Ezra 1:1-6; Luke 8:16-18)
The wives of two men watching television in their own
homes come to their respective husbands.
Each woman says, “I have something to tell you.” One man says back, “O.K., what is it?” The other turns off the television, motions
to his wife to sit next to him, and says the same, “O.K., what is it?” Which of the two will really hear what his
wife wants to tell him? In the gospel
today Jesus warns the people to take the care of the second man in hearing his words.
The passage is composed of three sayings that follow Jesus’
parable of the sower and the seed. The seed,
of course, is a metaphor for the word of God and the different types of ground
that it falls on represent different kinds of hearers. Jesus is exhorting the people to be fertile
ground, that is, again, listeners who pay close attention to his words.
After hearing the gospel passages read at mass for
thirty, forty, and fifty years we may take them for granted. But if we do not heed them, they cannot give
us life. We do well to take them to
heart. They can change our lives from
the ordinary to the saintly. They can
bear abundant fruit in us.
