READING

Matthew 13:1-23

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat there; and the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they had not much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched; and since they had no root they withered away. Other seeds fell upon thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear.”

Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For to him who has will more be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away. This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. With them indeed is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah which says:

‘You shall indeed hear but never understand,

    and you shall indeed see but never perceive.

For this people’s heart has grown dull,

    and their ears are heavy of hearing,

    and their eyes they have closed,

lest they should perceive with their eyes,

    and hear with their ears,

and understand with their heart,

    and turn for me to heal them.’

But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. Truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

“Hear then the parable of the sower. When any one hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in his heart; this is what was sown along the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is he who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the delight in riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. As for what was sown on good soil, this is he who hears the word and understands it; he indeed bears fruit, and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”

MEDITATION – Dr. Andrew Seeley

Jesus is the great Teacher. He understands what it is like to offer the truth to a sometimes unresponsive audience. He knows how painful it is to fail with a student. He knows how teaching is like planting seeds. Sometimes it seems like there is no growth – all we can hope for is that the seed will remain in our students’ memories, perhaps to finally grow and flower in the distant future.

He also knows how we can try to bring the hearts of our students to a more receptive and fruitful state. We might have to find ways to break into the soil of their hearts hardened by life and susceptible to the devil of cynicism. We might have to train those who rejoice in what is easy but lack discipline to learn in a lasting way. We might have to soften the false obsession with test scores or work with parents to remove the distractions of social media. And we should carefully nurture and protect those who show a young, deep love for learning.

Our Lord also knows how important it is to express the truth in ways that meet the students where they are. He often couldn’t express all He wanted to, but He used words and images that would be memorable for all, and yet would also entice the curious and those desiring more to come to ask Him questions. He knows what it means to a teacher to have students come to him outside of class to express their wonder and to begin to enter the life of learning.

EXAMEN

Do I let pain, frustration, or busy-ness cause me to give up on students who don’t respond right away? Do I seek out advice from more experienced teachers on how to reach them? Do I pray for Our Lord to open them up to learning and to grant me the patience and love I need not to neglect them?

PRAYER

Teacher of teachers, grant me the love, prudence, patience, and time to see learning as a process of fertilization and growth of truth in my students, and to take advantage of every opportunity to cultivate it within them.

MID-MONTH REFLECTION – FR. FRANK BRAWNER, INSTITUTE CHAPLAIN