Daily Readings
Sunday, June 29, 2025
First Reading
Isaiah 55:10-11
A reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah
Thus says the LORD: Just as from the heavens the rain and snow come down and do not return there till they have watered the earth, making it fertile and fruitful, giving seed to the one who sows and bread to the one who eats,
so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; my word shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it.
The word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 65:10, 11, 12-13, 14
R. The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest.
You have visited the land and watered it; greatly have you enriched it. God's watercourses are filled; you have prepared the grain.
R. The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest.
Thus have you prepared the land: drenching its furrows, breaking up its clods, Softening it with showers, blessing its yield.
R. The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest.
Gospel
Matthew 13:1-23
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew
Glory to you, O Lord.
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."
"Hear then 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 he has no root and lasts only for 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 then worldly anxiety and the 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 thirtyfold."
The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Today's Reflection
by Father Carlos Martinez
In today's Gospel, Jesus teaches us through the parable of the sower about the different ways we receive God's word in our hearts. The seed represents the word of God, which is constant and unchanging, but the soil - our hearts - varies greatly in its receptivity.
We might ask ourselves: What kind of soil am I today? Are there areas of my heart that have become hardened like the path, where God's word cannot take root? Are there thorns of worry, materialism, or distraction that choke out the spiritual growth God desires for me?
The beautiful promise of this parable is that we can cultivate our hearts to become rich soil. Through prayer, the sacraments, and acts of love, we prepare ourselves to receive God's word and bear fruit in abundance. May we ask for the grace to be good soil today.