Listen to His Word

When Jesus answers the apostles’ question about why He speaks in parables, it might seem as though He uses them to confuse people. We know that Jesus seeks to spread the Good News of the Kingdom of God; that is why He speaks to the crowds using parables. Let us remember that parables are easy-to-understand stories; they often contain a moral or end with a question, inviting listeners to reflect on a particular matter. Jesus uses these stories to teach the people.

Jesus preached parables much like a farmer sowing seeds. Some of them reached the ears of those who would later become His disciples; yet the majority of these parables—these seeds—fell upon the ears of people who were not prepared to understand them.

But —

• How do *we* receive His Word—the message Jesus wishes to convey to us through it?
• Do we listen without understanding, letting it go in one ear and out the other?
• Do we listen with joy, only to forget it when problems or difficulties arise?
• Or do we hear the Word but ignore it when faced with a later temptation?

If we want the Word to grow stronger within us, we can take steps to understand it better. For example, we can arrive early at church and spend a few minutes reading the Scripture passages before Mass. Or, after Mass, we can reflect further by revisiting the Word and spending time in silence listening for God’s voice in our hearts and discovering what He wants to tell us that day or week. Or, depending on the message God shares with us, we can try to put it into practice during the week.

Remaining faithful to the Word during difficult times is not easy. The Cross teaches us to expect hardships, but we must endure them to truly learn that we can pass through suffering and arrive at new life. Let us remember what Jesus told us: “Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me.”

To have the strength needed to withstand temptations and life’s difficult moments, we must decide whether we want to follow Jesus’ Word. God’s Word can be compared to a soccer or basketball game. We can sit and watch—without truly getting involved or caring who wins—or we can participate in the game and make it our own. Let us ask God to teach us how to listen to His Word, make it our own, and put it into action—rather than simply being spectators.