Daily Readings - Sat Sep 19 2020
1 Corinthians
35But someone will ask, "How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?"36You foolish person! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies.37And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain.42So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable.43It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power.44It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.45Thus it is written, "The first man Adam became a living being"; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.46But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual.47The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven.48As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven.49Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.50I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.
Luke
4And when a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable:5"A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it.6And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture.7And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it.8And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold." As he said these things, he called out, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."9And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant,10he said, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that 'seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.'11Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.12The ones along the path are those who have heard. Then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.13And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away.14And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature.15As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.
Sermon
Today’s readings invite us to reflect on transformation and growth, both in our bodies and in our hearts. In the First Reading from 1 Corinthians, St. Paul speaks about the mystery of the resurrection. He compares the earthly body to the heavenly body, emphasizing that what is sown in weakness and corruption will rise in power and incorruption. This passage reassures us that our current state is not final; God has a glorious plan for our bodies and souls. The resurrection is not just a future hope but a present reality shaping how we live, urging us to trust in God’s transformative power.
In the Gospel, Jesus tells the Parable of the Sower, highlighting the importance of receptive hearts. The seed represents God’s word, and the different soils symbolize how we receive it. Some hearts are distracted by worldly concerns, others are shallow, but those with good and noble hearts bear fruit in patience. This parable reminds us that spiritual growth requires nurturing our hearts, ensuring they are fertile ground for God’s word to take root.
Both readings call us to openness and trust. Just as the seed needs fertile soil to grow, our hearts must be open to God’s word. Let us cultivate hearts that are receptive and trusting, allowing His word to transform us. As we journey through life, may we trust in God’s power to bring forth fruit in our lives, just as He promises to raise our bodies in glory.