I believe that God is faithful. He is true to His promises. Like “seed sown among thorns,” I hear His Word, but I’m overcome by distractions, problems, and worries.

Like when The Feast magazine was three weeks late in production and delivery. Our sales department couldn’t offer the issue to client schools and had less time to sell. I had sleepless nights because of this. Then one early morning, I begged the Lord, “The issue is late and I can’t remedy this. I surrender this to You. Take care of everything.” Then I was told that during the book launch of the book, Lord, Is There Hope for Me? both the book and magazine were sold out.

God’s Word sown among the thorns of my anxiety and fear yielded surprise blessings. Among the thorns, God found a patch of good soil in the desperate and humble prayer I uttered. Truly, when He sows the Word, He makes it grow and bear fruit. 

Dina Pecaña (dina.p@shepherdsvoice.com.ph)

reflect

“Although the life of a person is full of thorns and weeds, there is always a space in which the good seed can grow. You have to trust God in this.” (Pope Francis)

Heavenly Father, take away the thorns and weeds that have grown in my heart. Make it fertile soil in which to sow Your Word so it may grow and bear abundant fruit.

St. Thomas Aquinas, priest and Doctor of the Church, pray for us.

David fought in wars for more than thirty years and has an enormous amount of blood on his hands. He has established the Kingdom of Israel as a force to be reckoned with. Never again will Israel hold such authority and power over its surrounding regions. In a vision, God informs Nathan that David will not be the one to build the Temple. The task will be left to his son, Solomon. 

⁴ That night the Lord spoke to Nathan and said: ⁵ “Go, tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord: Should you build me a house to dwell in? ⁶ I have not dwelt in a house from the day on which I led the children of Israel out of Egypt to the present, but I have been going about in a tent under cloth. ⁷ In all my wanderings everywhere among the children of  Israel, did I ever utter a word to any one of the judges whom I charged to tend my people Israel, to ask: Why have you not built me a house of cedar?’ ⁸ “Now then, speak thus to my servant David, ‘The Lord of hosts has this to say: It was I who took you from the pasture and from the care of the flock to be commander of my people Israel. ⁹ I have been with you wherever you went, and I have destroyed all your enemies before you. And I will make you famous like the great ones of the earth. ¹⁰ I will fix a place for my people Israel; I will plant them so that they may dwell in their place without further disturbance. Neither shall the wicked continue to afflict them as they did of old, ¹¹ since the time I first appointed judges over my people Israel. I will give you rest from all your enemies. The Lord also reveals to you that he will establish a house for you. ¹² And when your time comes and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your heir after you, sprung from your loins, and I will make his Kingdom firm. ¹³ It is he who shall build a house for my name. And I will make his royal throne firm forever. ¹⁴ I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. And if he does wrong, I will correct him with the rod of men and with human chastisements; ¹⁵ but I will not withdraw my favor from him as I withdrew it from your predecessor, Saul, whom I removed from my presence. ¹⁶ Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me; your throne shall stand firm forever.’” ¹⁷ Nathan reported all these words and this entire vision to David.

Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 89:4-5, 27-28, 29-30

R: Forever I will maintain my love for my servant.

⁴ “I have made a covenant with my chosen one; I have sworn to David my servant: ⁵ I will make your dynasty stand forever and establish your throne for all ages.” (R) ²⁷ “He shall cry to me, ‘You are my father, my God, the Rock, that brings me victory!’ ²⁸ I myself make him firstborn, Most High over the kings of the earth.” (R) ²⁹ “Forever I will maintain my love for him; my covenant with him stands firm. ³⁰ I will establish his dynasty forever, his throne as the days of heavens.” (R)

Gospel | Mark 4:1-20

Jesus calls us to bear fruit in our lives. To do this, let us open our hearts to the transforming power of the Holy Spirit and let Him guide and direct us, so our lives reflect the beauty and wonder of the Lord of Hosts. Let us shun the attentions of the world and keep ourselves fixed on God’s Kingdom, and the grace and blessing of life within it.

Gospel Acclamation

The seed is the word of God, Christ is the sower; all who come to him will live for ever.

¹ On another occasion, Jesus began to teach by the sea. A very large crowd gathered around him so that he got into a boat on the sea and sat down. And the whole crowd was beside the sea on land. ² And he taught them at length in parables, and in the course of his instruction he said to them, ³ “Hear this! A sower went out to sow. ⁴ And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and the birds came and ate it up. ⁵ Other seed fell on rocky ground where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep. ⁶ And when the sun rose, it was scorched and it withered for lack of roots. ⁷ Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it and it produced no grain. ⁸ And some seed fell on rich soil and produced fruit. It came up and grew and yielded thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.” ⁹ He added, “Whoever has ears to hear ought to hear.” ¹⁰ And when he was alone, those present along with the Twelve questioned him about the parables. ¹¹ He answered them, “The mystery of the Kingdom of God has been granted to you. But to those outside everything comes in parables, ¹² so that they may look and see but not perceive, and hear and listen but not understand, in order that they may not be converted and be forgiven.” ¹³ Jesus said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? Then how will you understand any of the parables? ¹⁴ The sower sows the word. ¹⁵ These are the ones on the path where the word is sown. As soon as they hear, Satan comes at once and takes away the word sown in them. ¹⁶ And these are the ones sown on rocky ground who, when they hear the word, receive it at once with joy. ¹⁷ But they have no root; they last only for a time. Then when tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. ¹⁸ Those sown among thorns are another sort. They are the people who hear the word, ¹⁹ but worldly anxiety, the lure of riches, and the craving for other things intrude and choke the word, and it bears no fruit. ²⁰ But those sown on rich soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.”

Read the Bible in one year! Read ACTS 21 - 24 today.

In the past few days, we have followed the stories of Jesus’ preaching—what people say about Him and how Jesus responds to those who encounter Him. By now, it’s clear that not everyone receives Him well. Many are still uncertain or doubtful about His words and miracles. So, as we listen to today’s Gospel, it seems like Jesus is describing the different ways people accepted Him during His time. But this isn’t just about those first listeners—it also speaks about us today. 

The parable we heard about the sower has three parts. The first part is probably Jesus’ own teaching. Like His other parables, it conveys a single important message: the sowing of seeds represents His mission to establish the Kingdom of God on earth. Yet, Jesus knew that not all seeds would grow well; some fail or get blocked. Still, God’s will is never defeated, even if it takes time. This message brings hope, especially to small church communities or those who face persecution.

When Jesus says, “He who has ears, let him hear,” He reminds us that listening is more than just hearing sounds—it means truly understanding and accepting the message so that it becomes part of who we are. Sadly, many hear but do not listen. Anyone with ears can hear sounds, but only those who listen grasp the meaning. Jesus calls us to deeply understand.

Among His listeners were the Pharisees and scribes who only wanted to find fault in His message. Still, Jesus reached out to everyone, preaching wherever crowds gathered and hoping His Word would take root in open hearts. Like the farmer in the parable, Jesus sows seeds everywhere, knowing not all will bear fruit.

How often do we, like Jesus, invest time and effort in sharing what we believe, even if some reject or ignore us? Jesus teaches us to keep going, faithful to our mission despite setbacks and disappointments. 

Fr. Franz Dizon

reflection question

How open are you to truly listening and accepting God’s Word in your life, even when it challenges you?

Lord, help me to truly listen amid the noise and chaos of the world. May my ears not only hear sounds, but may my heart understand Your message. Grant me the grace to live out Your Word in my daily life. Amen.

Today, I pray for: _______________________________________