Wednesday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Intention: For God’s blessing on this week’s Lasallian Student Leaders gathering, Lasallian Social Justice Institute, and Lasallian Volunteers Orientation.
Today’s Gospel | Matthew 13:1-9
On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd stood along the shore. And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep, and when the sun rose it was scorched, and it withered for lack of roots. Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it. But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold. Whoever has ears ought to hear.”
From the Third Meditation for the Time of Retreat | Saint John Baptist de La Salle
Although Jesus Christ died for everyone, the benefit of his death is, nevertheless, not effected in everyone, because all do not make the effort to apply it to themselves. The response of our will is necessary on our part in order to make it effective. Although the death of Jesus Christ was more than sufficient to wipe out the sins of all and to be a complete reparation for them, because God has reconciled us through Jesus Christ, nevertheless, the grace that Jesus merited for us effects our salvation only insofar as our will is brought to correspond with it. It is up to each of us to achieve and complete the work of our own redemption.
Prayer
Eternal Father, your Son taught that to truly know your gift of salvation, we must welcome and nurture it with open and faithful hearts. Bless us with the determination to plow up the hard ground of our sinfulness. Help us to be soil that receives and nourishes your will for us. Strengthen us inside and out to grow and bear fruit for your Kingdom through our humility, compassion and justice. We ask this of you who lives and reigns with your Son and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen.