In today's gospel, Jesus talks about the importance of the Word. We think we can live by money and job security, by food and entertainment, in affection and comfort... but when the storm comes in life, only the Word helps. That is why Jesus sows it in our hearts as the true foundation of our lives.

The Word is offered and not imposed. Even in the Old Testament tradition, hearing the Word is the request that opens prayers, "Hear Israel, Shema Israel." Jesus does not force one to listen and live it. But it is the person's responsibility to open his or her heart so that the Word can dwell in his or her soul. Moreover, it is up to the person who hears the Word to put it into practice. For if we do not live it, the gospel remains a dead letter, indeed a letter that we ourselves kill. By not living the gospel, we cause its fruits not to develop in us and around us. Perhaps we appreciate Jesus' words, but then we do not let ourseves to be converted by them, and thus nothing changes in our lives and in the world.

Jesus uses the parable of the sower to describe the gift of the Word. It is like the seed, offered to all, sown by scattering. But only some are open and willing to receive it and live it, letting the Gospel transform their lives. They are the ones who allow the Word to act, develop and bear fruit: a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.

There is another interesting detail in this gospel. Jesus speaks in parables. We can ask whether Jesus uses parables to better explain what he intends to say, or whether he is instead trying to confuse his listeners, as if he wanted to use cryptic language, understandable only by a select circle, as is done in secret societies. I think Jesus uses parables not for the purposes of being understood by a few. On the contrary, Jesus and his parables are probably understood very well by his listeners. In fact, Jesus makes use of images well known to the Jewish culture of the time (kings, fields, shepherds, soldiers, sowers...). Perhaps the communicative blockage originates not so much in Jesus' rhetorical technique, but rather in the hardness of heart of the listeners, who understood very well what Jesus wanted to say, but did not want to accept his message. Jesus, in fact, says things that disturb, that demand a change in the listener. The Gospel of Jesus, in a word, calls for conversion. The closure of the heart to his message is expressed by the words: they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand. They are further explained by Isaiah's words: Gross is the heart of this people.

In conclusion, let us reflect on our relationship with the Word. Where do we stand? Are we with those who welcome it every day and allow it to be transformed into life, and so transform our lives? Or are we like those who pretend to listen, but when they realize that the Gospel is too demanding because it asks us to love, to forgive, to give ourselves to God and our brothers and sisters, to make time for prayer, to make room for God's will ... they reject it and return to our little daily idols.

I end on a note. Many people far from the church justify themselves by saying that the it would not be able to communicate to people today and its way of witnessing to the gospel would be outdated. Perhaps the church needs to do its part to be more and more authentic and to make the gospel message more transparent. But there is probably also a lot of fear of change behind these criticisms. Probably the gospel message offered by the church is all too clear ... but it calls for change, and that bothers.