18 September 2021
Saturday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
In today’s Gospel Jesus invites me to be exceptionally receptive to the word of God, the seed he sows in my soul, designed to grow, bloom, and bear a harvest of blessings. But for that word to take root, it must first be cared for, supervised. That’s the teaching Jesus gives me in today’s Gospel.
Good will and enthusiasm help nurture the implanted seed, but these are not enough. It must be supported and made strong by prayer to overcome the ever-present temptation of the Devil, either that I forget what the Lord has sowed or that I deliberately let it wither and die.
Fortunately, the Mass today is a Mass of the Blessed Virgin. Who is a better helper for me to recognize the seed in me the Lord has planted than she? She was the one who received the Word of God with faith and confidence: “Behold the handmaid of the Lord. Be it done unto me according to thy word.” And during the rest of her life, particularly as she stood beneath the cross, she watched it grow,
She is the model of perseverance in times of trial, boredom, and weariness. At Cana she encouraged hope: “Do whatever he tells you to do.” And so, today I shall ask her to be my advocate in withstanding the Devil’s temptation to ignore the presence of the seed the Lord has planted in my soul.
Finally, with Mary at my side, I shall take Paul’s instruction to Timothy, cited in the 1st reading, making it my prayer to the quiet sower of the seed of Life in my soul: “to him be honor and eternal power. Amen.”