Daily Catholic Lectio. Wed, 23 July ’25. Sower Went out to Sow

Daily Catholic Lectio

Wed, 23 July ‘25

Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time – Wednesday

Exodus 16:1–5, 9–15. Matthew 13:1–9

The Sower Went out to Sow

In today’s Gospel, Jesus shares with us a simple yet powerful parable: “A sower went out to sow.” (Matthew 13:3)

The image is clear: the sower is active — not sitting inside the house waiting for the perfect conditions. He goes out to sow, to spread the seed, to begin something new. He doesn’t hold back. He doesn’t worry about the weather or the wind. He simply sows.

1. The Sower is Always Active

Jesus does not say, “The sower sat in the house thinking about sowing.” He says, “The sower went out.” This means movement. Purpose. Mission. Courage. The sower knows his task — to scatter seeds, not to control results. The Book of Ecclesiastes also reminds us: “If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never sow. Sow your seed in the morning, and do not withhold your hand in the evening.” (Ecclesiastes 11:4, 6) This is how God works in our lives. He keeps sowing His Word in us — even when we are distracted, doubtful, or dry in spirit.

2. The People Forgot the Gift

In today’s first reading from Exodus 16, the people of Israel, after crossing the Red Sea, begin to complain. They grumble to Moses and Aaron: “If only we had died in Egypt where we had meat and bread! Why did you bring us here to starve?” Their temporary hunger made them forget their freedom. They were no longer slaves, but the pain of the present blinded them to the gift of the past.

This is what Jesus warns about in the parable. The seed that falls on the path is eaten by birds. The seed that falls among thorns is choked. These are like the Word of God choked by complaints, fears, or worldly worries.

Yet, God is patient. Even when the people complained, He opened His hands — not to strike them, but to feed them. He gave them quails and manna. His desire was not just to feed them for a day, but to let His Word grow in them — to produce a hundredfold harvest.

3. Be a Sower of Hope

Each of us is also called to be a sower. We are not called to store up the gifts we receive but to go out and sow — words of love, actions of mercy, seeds of peace.

If we wait for the “perfect time,” we may never begin. If we keep looking back to “how things used to be,” we will never move forward.

The sower’s calling is to step out, to trust, and to plant. Not every seed will grow. Not every effort will succeed. But some will — and that’s enough.

4. Where is Your Heart Today?

Ask yourself: Is my heart like the path — where the Word is quickly taken away? Is it like rocky ground — full of good feelings, but little depth? Is it full of thorns — anxieties, anger, distractions choking the Word? Or is it good soil — open, soft, ready to receive and bear fruit?

And more importantly: Am I willing to go out and sow, even when the results are unknown? Can I trust that God is still sowing in my life, even when I feel dry?

Final Reflection

Let us not stay inside the comfort of the familiar. Let us not wait for perfect conditions to do good. Let us not forget the freedom God has given us. Like the sower, may we go out each day to plant seeds of kindness, truth, forgiveness, and love — trusting that God will make them grow.

“The Sower went out to sow” — may that be our story too.

Fr. Yesu Karunanidhi

Archdiocese of Madurai

Missionary of Mercy