The Gospel for the memorial of Saints Joachim and Anne, parents of the blessed Virgin Mary, is taken from Matthew 13:18 23. Jesus said to his disciples, hear the parable of the sower. The seed sown on the path is the one who hears the word of the kingdom without understanding it. And the evil one comes and steals away what was sown in his heart. The seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the Word and receives it at once with joy. But it has no root and lasts only a time.

When some tribulation or persecution comes because of the Word, he immediately falls away. The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the Word. But the worldly anxiety and lure of riches choke the Word, and it bears no fruit. But the seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the Word and understands it. Who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirty fold. We learn something about human nature here.

That the work of becoming who God calls us to be, to be all, authentic, to be who we really are, is not an easy thing. And it takes work and it takes time. But it seems that if we believe it, if we believe that the things he’s asking us to do or to understand, if we know that that’s true, then there’s going to be a capacity to do this work of receiving the truth in a way that will not be destroyed by our human weaknesses. Jesus said it’s the one who hears the Word and understands it. That’s the key. Please take the next few moments to reflect upon what we have opened our hearts to.

And I’ll end with a prayer, foreign closing prayer. Father, you reveal yourself as a God. That is a trinity, God the Father, the Creator, God the Son, the Redeemer. Then you have this mysterious Holy Spirit, which is the one who is there with you to help you understand, to help you to see. That’s the purpose of the Holy Spirit. To be that catalyst in us that opens our eyes to see what is true.

And we ask this in Jesus name, Amen.