St. Sharbel Makhluf, priest 

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊

Jeremiah 3:14-17

Come back, faithless people

–It is Yahweh who speaks – for I am your master. I will select one from a city and two from a family and bring you to Zion. Then I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and prudence. 

And when you have increased and multiplied in the land in those days – it is Yahweh who speaks – people will no longer speak of the ark of the covenant of Yahweh; it will not be remembered or missed, nor shall it be made again!

Then they will call Jerusalem ‘The Throne of Yahweh’ and all the nations will gather there to honor the name of Yahweh and no longer will they follow the stubbornness of their wicked hearts.

 

Jer 31:10, 11-12abcd, 13

The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊

Matthew 13:18-23

Now listen to the parable of the sower. When a person hears the message of the Kingdom but without taking it to himself, the devil comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed that fell along the footpath.

The seed that fell on rocky ground stands for the one who hears the word and accepts it at once with joy. But this fickle and has no roots. No sooner is he harassed or persecuted because of the word, than he gives up.

 The seed that fell among the thistles is the one who hears the word, but then the worries of this life and the love of money choke the word, and it does not bear fruit. As for the seed that fell on good soil it is the one who hears the word and under­stands it; this bears fruit and produces a hundred, or sixty, or thirty times more.”

 

Gospel Reflection：

People in media complain about the spread of fake news. They seek investigations on bloggers and websites generating information that are misleading. The main problem, however, lies NOT in the ones generating false and unverifiable news.

We have to turn to the ones receiving and reading the news. Every day, an overload of information comes to television, radio, newspapers, and internet. Readers lack time and energy to process every information.

It then goes home to how words are packaged to attract and win the attention of receivers. Oftentimes, fake newsfeeds are packaged in more flashy and sensational fashion.

In order for the Word of God to fall on good soil, we educate and mold readers and listeners to be discerning of what they receive. Farmers believe there is no such thing as arid soil. Thre is always a way for an arid soil to become a rich field.