Open to Receive Growth

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today, the Feast of Saint Sharbel Makhlūf, Priest, challenge us to ponder the soil that we seek to prepare through our relationship with the Sower, that will produce a yield of love, hope, and faith in our environment.

Seeds of Faith, Hope and Love

The Reading from the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah proclaims a remnant of Israel will reunite with Judah.

* [3:14–18] A remnant of Israel (v. 14) will reunite with Judah (v. 18). The former Israelite community, represented by the ark of the covenant, will be replaced by a universal alliance, symbolized by Jerusalem, the Lord’s throne, to which all nations will be gathered (v. 17). (Jeremiah, CHAPTER 31 | USCCB, n.d.) (Jeremiah, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB, n.d.)

The response from Jeremiah Chapter 31 is a presentation of the people’s return from captivity

h. [31:11] Is 44:23; 48:20.

i. [31:12] Is 58:11.(Jeremiah, CHAPTER 31 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus Explains the Parable of the Sower.

* [13:18–23] See Mk 4:14–20; Lk 8:11–15. In this explanation of the parable the emphasis is on the various types of soil on which the seed falls, i.e., on the dispositions with which the preaching of Jesus is received. The second and third types particularly are explained in such a way as to support the view held by many scholars that the explanation derives not from Jesus but from early Christian reflection upon apostasy from the faith that was the consequence of persecution and worldliness, respectively. Others, however, hold that the explanation may come basically from Jesus even though it was developed in the light of later Christian experience. The four types of persons envisaged are (1) those who never accept the word of the kingdom (Mt 13:19); (2) those who believe for a while but fall away because of persecution (Mt 13:20–21); (3) those who believe, but in whom the word is choked by worldly anxiety and the seduction of riches (Mt 13:22); (4) those who respond to the word and produce fruit abundantly (Mt 13:23). (Matthew, CHAPTER 13 | USCCB, n.d.)

Rev. George Meze, SJ, comments that St. Ignatius teaches that the purpose of life is “to praise, revere, and serve God.” 

I have often wondered what it truly means to praise God and to be at His service…

Is not the purpose of our lives to become what God desires us to be? To love as Jesus loved; to forgive as He forgives; to take up our crosses and overcome them as He conquered suffering on Calvary; to have hope and to share that hope with others, just as He did with the blind, the sick, and those in despair.

 

God has given us life as a seed meant to grow in Him. He is the good soil, continually inviting us to remain rooted in His love. Perhaps it is in striving to love as Jesus loved that we plant ourselves in him, the good soil. (Meze, 2026)

Don Schwager quotes “God's word is like good seed sown in the heart,” by Jerome (347-420 AD)

"'And the one sown upon good ground is he who hears the word, understands it and bears fruit.' Even as on bad ground there were three diverse situations (by the path, upon rocky ground and among thorns), so too on good ground the diversity is of three types: fruit of one hundredfold, sixtyfold and thirtyfold. Both in one and the other there is a change that takes place in the will, not in the nature itself. In both the unbelievers and believers it is the heart that receives the seed. 'The wicked one comes,' he says, 'and snatches away what has been sown in his heart.' In the second and third cases, he says, 'That is he who hears the word.' In the explanation of the good ground, he is the one who hears the word. First we must listen, then understand; after understanding, we must bear the fruits of good teaching and yield fruit either one hundredfold, sixtyfold or thirtyfold." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON MATTHEW 2.13.23) (Schwager, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler reflects that Jeremiah speaks about how God will bring one from here, two from there, as a remnant that will form a faithful people and will not search out the Ark of the Covenant that was worshipped as a superstitious totem. The day will come when all of Jerusalem is a sacred people. Jesus presents the sower and the path, as a parable that explains the Great Commandment. Those who don’t love God with the mind are like the path when they don’t try to fully understand. The rocky ground are those who do not love with their soul and in times of persecution, fall away. A martyrdom of pin pricks may fall on those who don’t love with the strength which is their physical possessions. Friar Jude notes those who are prepared and self examined will produce greatly when the seed is planted.

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 13:18-23 comments that  Jesus tells his disciples that the seed is his word that he sows into the heart of each person. The different types of soil represent some typical responses that people can have to his word. So his parable can inspire us to examine how prepared we are to receive and understand what Jesus says to us, and to ask how we can improve the quality of our “soil.”

Even when you feel like rocky soil, you can trust Jesus, the Sower who won’t stop sowing. Even when you worry about the loved ones you’re praying for, know that Jesus never gets tired of scattering seed. He will not give up—he will keep spreading the seed until it finds its proper soil.

“Thank you, Jesus, for your relentless love that never stops reaching out to me!” (Meditation on Matthew 13:18-23, n.d.)

Father Richard Rohr, OFM, presents publisher and author Robert Ellsberg who introduces Sister Thea Bowman (1937–1990). As a Franciscan Sister, she managed to integrate the resources of her Catholic faith with her identity as an African American woman.

When you come into my community, my town, my world, will you see God’s glory revealed? When you go to my brothers and sisters, in beautiful Hawaii, will you see his glory? When you experience, when you share the hungers of Ethiopia, the blood flow of Guatemala and Nicaragua, will you see his glory revealed?…

If you believe that you, like Jesus, are called by the spirit to share the spirit in the world to call forth the giftedness of God’s people, say Amen. If you believe that God is able to work in all the brothers and the sisters, in the ones you customarily write off because they don’t read right, they don’t write right, they drink too much, they smoke the wrong thing, they don’t walk right, they don’t talk right, their sexual preferences are not in agreement with the ones you claim. If you believe that God is able to transform the water of my reality into purest wine, if you believe there’s nothing God can’t do, let me hear you say Amen. [2] (Rohr, n.d.)

We invoke the Spirit to guide our preparation of the good soil for our reception to learn, persevere, and use our strength to work with Jesus to bring in a harvest of fullness of life.

References

Jeremiah, CHAPTER 31 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 24, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/jeremiah/31 

Jeremiah, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 24, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/jeremiah/3?14 

Matthew, CHAPTER 13 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 24, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/13? 

Meditation on Matthew 13:18-23. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved June 24, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/07/23/1629640/ 

Meze, G. (2026, July 24). Daily Reflection July 24, 2026 | Creighton Online Ministries. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved July 24, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-july-24-2026 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Thea Bowman: Champion of Black Catholic Identity. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved July 24, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/thea-bowman-champion-of-black-catholic-identity/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Whoever Hears the Word and Understands It. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved July 24, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/ 

Prophetic Person

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today resonate with the prophetic call and our daily response to the eternal relationship of God with humanity.

Our Prophetic Anointing

The reading from the Prophet Jeremiah establishes his  Call and Commission.

* [1:1] Anathoth: a village about three miles northeast of Jerusalem, to which Solomon had exiled Abiathar the priest (1 Kgs 2:26–27); it is likely that Jeremiah belonged to that priestly family.

* [1:5] Jeremiah was destined to become a prophet before his birth; cf. Is 49:1, 5; Lk 1:15; Gal 1:15–16. I knew you: I loved you and chose you. I dedicated you: I set you apart to be a prophet. The nations: the neighbors of Judah, along with Assyria, Babylonia, and Egypt.

* [1:6] I am too young: like Moses (Ex 3:11, 13; 4:10), Jeremiah at first resists God’s call. This narrative is perhaps patterned after the story of Moses’ call in order to identify Jeremiah as the prophet “like me” in Dt 18:15. (Jeremiah, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 71 is a prayer for Lifelong Protection and Help.

* [Psalm 71] A lament of an old person (Ps 71:9, 18) whose afflictions are interpreted by enemies as a divine judgment (Ps 71:11). The first part of the Psalm pleads for help (Ps 71:1–4) on the basis of a hope learned from a lifetime’s experience of God; the second part describes the menace (Ps 71:9–13) yet remains buoyant (Ps 71:14–16); the third develops the theme of hope and praise. (Psalms, PSALM 71 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of Matthew presents the Parable of the Sower.

* [13:3–8] Since in Palestine sowing often preceded plowing, much of the seed is scattered on ground that is unsuitable. Yet while much is wasted, the seed that falls on good ground bears fruit in extraordinarily large measure. The point of the parable is that, in spite of some failure because of opposition and indifference, the message of Jesus about the coming of the kingdom will have enormous success.

* [13:3] In parables: the word “parable” (Greek parabolē) is used in the LXX to translate the Hebrew māshāl, a designation covering a wide variety of literary forms such as axioms, proverbs, similitudes, and allegories. In the New Testament the same breadth of meaning of the word is found, but there it primarily designates stories that are illustrative comparisons between Christian truths and events of everyday life. Sometimes the event has a strange element that is quite different from usual experience (e.g., in Mt 13:33 the enormous amount of dough in the parable of the yeast); this is meant to sharpen the curiosity of the hearer. If each detail of such a story is given a figurative meaning, the story is an allegory. Those who maintain a sharp distinction between parable and allegory insist that a parable has only one point of comparison, and that while parables were characteristic of Jesus’ teaching, to see allegorical details in them is to introduce meanings that go beyond their original intention and even falsify it. However, to exclude any allegorical elements from a parable is an excessively rigid mode of interpretation, now abandoned by many scholars. (Matthew, CHAPTER 13 | USCCB, n.d.)

Today the Optional Memorial is for a Lebanese saint: St. Sharbel Makhlūf.

Kimberly Grassmeyer is reminded to think beyond the obvious lesson that each of us is considered by God to be Good Seed; to also accept that Jesus was inviting us to accept our obligation to each other to create an environment that is Good Soil.  A space of peace and love and acceptance and grace.

I was SO blessed to have such a tender gardener, in the person of my Grandmother.  She (along with my grandfather, who died when I was only 5) was both Good Seed and Good Soil.  Grandmother Alice did everything she could to tend her eight children, her 23 little grand-seeds, and every other soul she touched, so we could sprout and thrive.  What a blessing to have had her!  What a blessing to be able to pass on, in small measure, her tender care!  What a grace to accept God's gift of being Good Seed, and to heed God's call to be Good Soil.  Amen. (Grassmeyer, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “Shallow and rootless minds,” by Cyril of Alexandria (375-444 AD).

"Let us look, as from a broader perspective, at what it means to be on the road. In a way, every road is hardened and foolish on account of the fact that it lies beneath everyone's feet. No kind of seed finds there enough depth of soil for a covering. Instead, it lies on the surface and is ready to be snatched up by the birds that come by. Therefore those who have in themselves a mind hardened and, as it were, packed tight do not receive the divine seed but become a well-trodden way for the unclean spirits. These are what is here meant by 'the birds of the heaven.' But 'heaven' we understand to mean this air, in which the spirits of wickedness move about, by whom, again, the good seed is snatched up and destroyed. Then what are those upon the rock? They are those people who do not take much care of the faith they have in themselves. They have not set their minds to understand the touchstone of the mystery [of communion with Christ]. The reverence these people have toward God is shallow and rootless. It is in times of ease and fair weather that they practice Christianity, when it involves none of the painful trials of winter. They will not preserve their faith in this way, if in times of tumultuous persecution their soul is not prepared for the struggle." (Excerpt from FRAGMENT 168) (Schwager, 2024)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Jeremiah 1:1, 4-10 urges us to take a moment to ask the Lord, “What are you up to today, and how are you asking me to join you in it?” Maybe he’ll bring to mind an old friend who needs us to reach out and make contact with her. Maybe he’ll touch our heart with a Scripture as we are praying and then bring someone across our path who would be blessed by hearing that message. Or maybe something we want to do gets cancelled, or we get stuck in traffic. Instead of giving in to frustration, we can offer that time to the Lord with a prayer for healing or peace for someone we know.

God is always inviting you to work with him—and he’s not expecting you to do it by your strength alone. He has been equipping you for it from the beginning!

“Father, open my heart to see your everlasting love, to say yes to you, and to work with you today.” (Meditation on Jeremiah 1:1, 4-10, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments on the connection of the passage about Jeremiah called to be a prophet and the idea of predestination. The verbs used to describe the mission of Jeremiah involve tearing down and building up. Friar Jude connects the path, rocky ground, and thorns of the parable to the Shema and our call to serve God with our intellect, life force, and possessions.

 

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, names how Step 10, Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it, is beneficial when practiced from a contemplative stance.

Consciousness is not the seeing but that which sees me seeing. It is not the knower but that which knows that I am knowing. It is not the observer but that which underlies and observes me observing. We must step back from our compulsiveness, and our attachment to ourselves, to be truly conscious. [1] 

Benedictine Sister Macrina Wiederkehr (1939–2020) suggests a series of questions for a daily “Examen of Consciousness”: 

• Have the ears of my heart opened to the voice of God?  

• Have the ears of my heart opened to the needs of my sisters and brothers? 

• Have the eyes of my heart beheld the Divine face in all created things? 

• What do I know, but live as though I do not know?… 

• Is there anyone, including myself, whom I need to forgive? 

• When did I experience my heart opening wide today?… 

• What is the one thing in my life that is standing on tiptoe crying, “May I have your attention please?” What needs my attention? [2] 

Fr. Richard continues: 

If obeyed—listened to and followed—consciousness will become a very wise teacher of soul wisdom. It will teach us from deep within (both Jeremiah 31:33 and Romans 2:15 describe it as “the law written on our hearts”). Some call it the “Inner Witness.” On some level, soul, consciousness, and the Holy Spirit can well be thought of as the same thing, and it is always larger than me, shared, and even eternal. (Rohr, n.d.)

Our Baptismal anointing as Priest, Prophet, and Leader begins our access to the Spirit to guide our use of intellect, life force, and possessions in preparing for the abundant harvest of followers of Jesus Way.

References

Grassmeyer, K. (n.d.). Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. OnlineMinistries. Retrieved July 24, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/072424.html 

Jeremiah, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 24, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/jeremiah/1?1 

Matthew, CHAPTER 13 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 24, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/13?1 

Meditation on Jeremiah 1:1, 4-10. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved July 24, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/07/24/1031665/ 

Psalms, PSALM 71 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 24, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/71?1 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. Examination of Consciousness. Retrieved July 24, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/examination-of-consciousness/ 

Schwager, D. (2024, July 23). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Since They Had No Root They Withered Away. Retrieved July 24, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=jul24