September 17, 2022
Saturday for di Twenty-Fourth Week for Ordinary Time
Readings for Today
Saint Robert Bellarmine, Bishop and Doctor of di Church—Memorial wey no compulsory
Saint Hildegard of Bingen, Virjin and Doctor of di Church—Memorial wey no be compulsory
Listen for English
“Di ones for di footpath na those wey don hear, but di Devil dey come carry di word comot from their hearts, so dem no go believe and receive salvation.” Luke 8:12
Dis story wey we sabi well dey show four different ways wey we fit hear di Word of God. Some people be like footpath wey people don march well-well, some be like ground wey get plenty stone, others be like ground wey thorn-thorn plants cover, and some be like fertile soil.
For each of these examples, growth through di Word of God dey possible. Di fertile soil na when person receive di Word and e bear fruit. Di seed among thorn-thorn plants na when di Word grow, but everyday wahala and temptations choke di fruit. Di seed wey dem sow for ground wey get plenty stone make di Word grow, but e later die when life hard. But di first example, where seed fall for footpath, na di one wey person go least want among all of dem. For dis one, di seed no even grow. Di ground don hard so much say di seed no fit enter inside. Di footpath itself no get anything at all wey fit nourish di seed and, as di passage above show, di Devil dey steal di Word comot before e fit grow.
Sadly, dis kind “footpath” dey common more and more for our time. In fact, plenty people dey struggle to really listen. We fit hear, but to hear no be di same thing as to really listen. Many times, we get plenty things to do, places to go and things wey dey carry our attention. Because of dis, e fit hard for many people to really receive di Word of God inside their hearts, where e fit grow.
Today, reflect on di many ways wey di Devil fit come steal di Word of God comot from you. E fit just be say e keep you so busy that your attention scatter too much for you to take di Word well inside your heart. Or e fit be say you allow di noise wey dey always come from di world to oppose wetin you hear before e enter your heart well. No matter how e be, e dey very important make you try take at least di first step: to listen and understand. Once you don take dat first step, you fit then work to remove di “stones” and “thorn-thorn plants” from di soil of your soul.
My Lord wey dey make tins known, help me to hear Your Word, to listen to am, to understand am and to believe am. Help my heart make e finally become fertile soil wey You go enter so e go bear plenty good fruit. Jesus, na You I trust.
More Reflections on the Gospel
Reflection Dem about God im Mercy
Saints for Today –
Saint Robert Bellarmine, Bishop and Doctor of di Church
Saint Hildegard of Bingen, Virjin and Doctor of di Church
Main Picture: Di Person Wey Dey Sow Seed, wey James Tissot make, through Wikimedia Commons
