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The Cares of the World
3 min
Gospel
Mt 13:18-23
“Hear then the parable of the sower. When any one hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in his heart; this is what was sown along the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is he who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the delight in riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. As for what was sown on good soil, this is he who hears the word and understands it; he indeed bears fruit, and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”
Readings are taken from Dynamic Catholic’s Bible: RSV Catholic Edition.
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Transcript
The Cares of the World
Welcome back to Radical
& Relevant. Each day, we're looking for a word or a phrase or an idea that
jumps out at us so that we can anchor our day in the life and teachings of Jesus.
Today's reading comes from the Gospel of Matthew 13:18-23. It's the continuation of the
passage we heard a couple of days ago about the parable of the sower. And this is Jesus
explaining the parable. "Hear then the parable of the sower: when anyone hears the word
of the kingdom of God and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away
what is sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. As for what was sown on
rocky ground, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy. Yet he
has no root in himself, but endures for a while and when tribulation or persecution
arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. As for what was sown among the
thorns, this is he who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the delight in
riches choked the word and it proves unfruitful. And for what was sown on good soil,
this is he who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields in
one case 100 fold, in another 60 fold, in another 30 fold."
So what
jumps out at you today? And which type of soil are you? We talked about that the other
day. And it's interesting that in this explanation, Jesus explains that we are more or
less in control of the soil. We're in control of the soil of our hearts. And there are
things that we can do: spiritual exercises, growing in virtue, developing character,
prayer, reflecting on the Scriptures. There's a lot of things that we can do that make
the soil of our heart rich, and allow the soil of our heart to receive the Word of God
in a fruitful way. But the words that jump out at me are here. Five words: the cares of
the world. The cares of the world choked the word. How often do you feel the cares of
the world choking your spiritual life? I think that's real. I think that's real. I think
the cares of the world are many. I think they are distracting. I think they can carry us
away. I think they can distract us from what we really should be focused on. How are the
cares of the world pulling you away from who and what God is calling you to be in this
moment of your life?
Have a great day and remember: Be Bold, Be
Catholic.
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