HEAR THE WORDS OF JESUS

We are in the fifteenth Sunday of ordinary time. The readings of today focus on the importance of God’s word. A certain lady from England was travelling in a bus from Salem to Chennai in Tamil Nadu, India. She neither knew local language nor had seen those places earlier. It was her first visit to India. All the while in her journey he was enquiring her neighbours, co-travellers and officials in the bus about her destination, whether she has reached her place, how far should she still travel…? Of course, she had GPS but, still she was perplexed about her journey, reaching the destination safely and security. She doesn’t want to miss the destination. It was her focus. She was vigilant and watchful toward her destination. At last, she reached Chennai and was happy about her successful journey.

Our life is also like a journey in the bus. Our life on earth is a travel that we make to reach our destination. Like that lady in an above story we are also new to this life-travel. Although many have made this travel in the past, good number of others are also making their journey with us, still each one’s travel is unique. As Christians, we know our destination as heaven. But we are not sure when do we reach that destination. We don’t know when will we get down from this life-travel and reach heaven. Our getting down may be today, or tomorrow, or after few years, or… don’t know. But still we continue to travel. Even in a simple journey like that of bus if we need help, how about our life-travel? Our life is much more than travelling in a bus. If so, is it not necessary to have guide and get help? Certainly, we need the help of others and guidance. The best guidance that we can get is from the person who knew our destination well or has some knowledge about our destination. So for the only person who knew our destination place well and have some knowledge about heaven is Lord Jesus. He came from that place. Therefore, Jesus is the only reliable guide.

The words of Jesus are guide to our life. They serve as aid to our life travel. As psalmist says, His word is a lamp for our feet, a light for our path (Ps 119:105). The readings of today invite us to pay heed to his words and get guided properly. In today’s gospel – the parable of the sower (seed) – Jesus tells that He is sowing His words into our hearts. He is generous, who sows the seed into all of us. But our state of receptivity is different due to various circumstances. We need to be vigilant like that lady in the bus or else we may be misguided by other. When we leave Jesus’ advice and follow others directions our life-travel would end up like seeds that fell on the path, on rocky ground, and amidst thorn bushes. The people in the path are possessed by evil spirits who reject Jesus’ word completely, thus they end their life-travel abruptly. The people in rocky ground are coward who have no complete faith in Jesus’ word and no sufficient patience, and perseverance in their life-travel, thus they go astray. The people amidst thorn bushes are worldly people who are distracted by thing that they see and experience in the course of their travel, thus they get struck to the travel and miss the destination. The only people who are focused, vigilant, watchful and pay heed to the words of Jesus reach the destination properly by producing fruits in hundred, sixty and thirty each according to their ability. Jesus knew that each one is unique, have limitations and our abilities are different. Therefore, he gives concession for us to produce fruits each according to our capacity (hundered/sixty/thirty). But we need to produce fruit. We will produce fruit and reach our destination in life-travel properly if only when we are guided by His words. We need to pay heed to His word and get directed. If we listen without hearing and look toward the destination without properly seeing, we will fall on the way.

As we have this beautiful reading of the parable of the sower (seed) today, let us examine ourselves and see whether we pay heed to the words of Jesus in our life? Do we follow His teachings in our life? Above all do we read His word every day? In order to be guided by Him, first we need to hear to His word. It is in the reading the bible we hear His word. As first step let us start reading the bible constantly and hear the words of Jesus.