Some dreams are not such, they are realities waiting for courage

Listening to the Spirit

O God, send forth your Holy Spirit and your Words
into our heart that we may perceive,
into our mind that we may remember,
and into our soul that we may meditate.
Inspire us to speak with piety, holiness, tenderness, and mercy.
Teach, guide, and direct our thoughts and senses from beginning to end.
May your grace ever help and correct us,
and may we be strengthened now with wisdom from on high,
for the sake of your infinite mercy. Amen.

Listening to the Word

Matthew 13:1-9

On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd stood along the shore.

And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep, and when the sun rose it was scorched, and it withered for lack of roots. Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it. But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold. Whoever has ears ought to hear.”

Reflection

There are so many people fascinated by beautiful phrases. The other day I was walking in the woods and I appreciated the initiative of the local administration of hanging some wood boards on which were carved inspiring phrases. I was struck by one of them: “Some dreams are not such, they are realities waiting for courage”. I wanted to send it to a friend who, in my opinion, must take a decision. But I was thinking: “Will he understand the meaning of this phrase? In the Philippines, we call them “HUGOT”. We like to post, to share them on our FB pages…We like to send to our friends in some special moments of their lives.
But, are these words really touching our lives, making a change in our behaviors? I hope so… but most probably it does not happen… What is the reason?
Jesus, in today’s Gospel, tells us something about this. The prophet Isaiah wrote: “You shall indeed hear but not understand” and “You shall indeed look but never see”. Why is it happening that we do not understand and see? What is the problem?
During the novitiate, our novice master used to encourage us not to read a lot, but rather to focus, to put our attention on some words of the Word of God, which, at that moment, were particularly meaningful for us. Quoting Saint Ignatius of Loyola, our formator was inviting us to meditate, to “chew” for a long time, even only one word. He used to say: “Pause on the word, remain with it. Do not rush!!” Therefore, I used to focus on one word, allowing it to enter my mind and above all in my heart.
I like to think that Jesus in today’s Gospel is reminding us that God never stops to sow, to spread His words among us. “A sower went out to sow.” God has a word for each one of us. He is generous and abundant with all the people. He is not afraid to spare the seed, His Words. Jesus is inviting us to taste, appreciate, and allow the Word of God to enter our lives and to dwell in us. As I have written above, If we will be able to pause with the Word of God, for sure those words will act in our existences and will allow us to change, to repent, and to be according to the will of God. This is our happiness and most of all we will be able to “bear fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.”