Saturday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 and//usccb.org/bible/1timothy/6:13 1 TM 6:13-16 BelovedandI charge you before God, who gives life to all things,and before Christ Jesus,who gave testimony under Pontius Pilatefor the noble confession,to keep the commandment without stain or reproachuntil the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christthat the blessed and only rulerwill make manifest at the proper time,the King of kings and Lord of lords,who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light,and whom no human being has seen or can see.To him be honor and eternal power. Amen. Responsorial Psalm and//usccb.org/bible/psalms/100and1 PS 100and1B-2, 3, 4, 5 R. Come with joy into the presence of the Lord. Sing joyfully to the LORD all you landsserve the LORD with gladnesscome before him with joyful song. R.Come with joy into the presence of the Lord. Know that the LORD is Godhe made us, his we arehis people, the flock he tends. R.Come with joy into the presence of the Lord. Enter his gates with thanksgiving,his courts with praiseGive thanks to him bless his name. R.Come with joy into the presence of the Lord. For he is goodandthe LORD, whose kindness endures forever,and his faithfulness, to all generations. R.Come with joy into the presence of the Lord. Alleluia and//usccb.org/bible/luke/8:15 SEE LK 8:15 R.Alleluia, alleluia.Blessed are they who have kept the word with a generous heartand yield a harvest through perseverance.R.Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel and//usccb.org/bible/luke/8and4 LK 8and4-15 When a large crowd gathered, with people from one town after anotherjourneying to Jesus, he spoke in a parable. A sower went out to sow his seed.And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path and was trampled,and the birds of the sky ate it up.Some seed fell on rocky ground, and when it grew,it withered for lack of moisture.Some seed fell among thorns,and the thorns grew with it and choked it.And some seed fell on good soil, and when it grew,it produced fruit a hundredfold.”After saying this, he called out, Whoever has ears to hear ought to hear.”Then his disciples asked himwhat the meaning of this parable might be.He answered, Knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of Godhas been granted to youbut to the rest, they are made known through parablesso thatthey may look but not see, and hear but not understand. This is the meaning of the parable.The seed is the word of God.Those on the path are the ones who have heard,but the Devil comes and takes away the word from their heartsthat they may not believe and be saved.Those on rocky ground are the ones who, when they hear,receive the word with joy, but they have no rootthey believe only for a time and fall away in time of temptation.As for the seed that fell among thorns,they are the ones who have heard, but as they go along,they are choked by the anxieties and riches and pleasures of life,and they fail to produce mature fruit.But as for the seed that fell on rich soil,they are the ones who, when they have heard the word,embrace it with a generous and good heart,and bear fruit through perseverance.”