In his commentary on this Sunday’s Gospel, Brother Luciano Audisio, OAR, invites us to discover the parable of the sower from a deeply biblical perspective. Rather than a teaching about different types of soil, this reflection reveals how God acts in history: He goes out to meet humanity, gathers them as a people, and sows in them the new life of Christ. A reading that unites the Exodus, the Passover, and the mission of Jesus in one single history of salvation.
Jesus Goes Out to Gather His People
Today’s Gospel presents Jesus at a decisive moment in his ministry: He begins to speak in parables. But before delving into the parable of the sower, the evangelist offers us a fundamental key to its full understanding. We are not facing a simple pedagogical method, but a revelation about the very way God acts and communicates.
The text says that Jesus “left the house and sat by the sea” (ἐξελθὼν τῆς οἰκίας ἐκάθητο παρὰ τὴν θάλασσαν). Nothing in this beginning is casual. Jesus “goes out” (ἐξελθών), and that verb immediately refers to the exodus. It is the same dynamic of God in history: a God who does not remain closed in on Himself, but who goes out, who approaches, who breaks into history to liberate.
This “going out” of Jesus is the true exodus from Egypt. Egypt is no longer just a geographical place: it is everything that chains human beings, every form of inner slavery, of death, of oppression. Jesus is the new exodus, the living Passover of God in the midst of the world.
And He sits by the sea. The “sea” (θάλασσα), although geographically the Sea of Galilee, is called this by the evangelist because it evokes the Red Sea, the place of Israel’s passage from slavery to freedom. But the sea, in Scripture, is also a symbol of chaos, of the untamable, of the forces of death. Jesus sits there, on the edge, at the place of passage. He Himself becomes the point of transit between death and life.
Seated, as a teacher, He teaches. His word is not theory: it is a path of passage. To listen to Jesus is to cross the sea.
The evangelist adds that “many crowds were gathered before him” (καὶ συνήχθησαν πρὸς αὐτὸν ὄχλοι πολλοί). The verb is in the passive voice: they were gathered. It is not just a spontaneous human movement. It is God who gathers. It is the same dynamism of the Passover: God gathers His people to lead them through.
Here Jesus appears as a new synagogue, the place where God gathers. And, at the same time, as a “synod,” that is, the one around whom the people walk together. All humanity is called to gather around Him to begin a new exodus.
In that context, Jesus begins to speak in parables. And He says: “He spoke many things to them in parables, saying” (ἐλάλησεν αὐτοῖς πολλὰ ἐν παραβολαῖς λέγων).
A parable is not just a comparison. In Hebrew, mashal (משל), it is a way of revealing by hiding and hiding by revealing. Jesus looks at everyday life and in it discovers the mystery of God. But, at the same time, the parable becomes a sea that must be crossed. It is not a discourse that simplifies, but a word that introduces one into the depths.
And the first parable also begins with a “going out”: “Behold, the sower went out to sow” (ἰδοὺ ἐξῆλθεν ὁ σπείρων τοῦ σπείρειν). Again, the exodus. God goes out to sow. God’s movement is not only to liberate: it is also to sow life in the heart of the world.
The Seed That Transforms the Heart
And here a decisive key appears: the seed is the Word, but, ultimately, it is Christ Himself. He is the seed that falls into the soil of our history, that dies and bears fruit. If it does not fall to the ground and die, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces new life.
The parable of the sower then shows us the struggle for that seed.
First, the birds of the sky appear. They are not a mere decorative detail. They represent what snatches away the seed before it takes root. The Gospel is not naive: there is a force contrary to God, a real resistance to the mystery of the Word. It is the enemy who tries to prevent Christ from entering the heart of man.
Then comes the seed that falls on rocky ground, where there is no depth. It is the image of initial enthusiasm that does not withstand the test. There is an authentic experience of God, but without roots. When difficulty comes, everything vanishes. Jesus invites us here to remember the first encounter, not to live only on religious emotions, but to mature in faithfulness.
Then the thorns appear. These are the worries, anxieties, and inner dependencies that choke the Word. They are not necessarily bad things in themselves, but realities that occupy the heart too much and end up suffocating the life of God. Here the call is to discernment: what things are taking God’s place in our lives?
Finally, the good soil. And here appears the great news of the Gospel: the fruitfulness is overflowing. It is not a logic of balance, but of abundance. When the Word finds an open heart, life multiplies beyond imagination.
The Word Continues to Sow Life Today
The key to the whole scene is this: Jesus has gone out to sow, to gather, and to open a way. He Himself is the one who crosses the sea and teaches us to cross it.
Therefore, listening to this parable is not just understanding a teaching. It is allowing oneself to be introduced into the exodus of Jesus. It is allowing His Word to free us from our bondages, gather us as a people, and lead us into a new life.
Today the Lord continues to go out. He continues to sow. He continues to gather. And He continues to tell us, in the midst of our own “sea”: do not be afraid, cross to the other side.
The Parable of the Sower: Jesus Goes Out to Sow Life in Our Hearts
In his commentary on this Sunday’s Gospel, Brother Luciano Audisio, OAR, invites us to discover the parable of the sower from a deeply biblical perspective. Rather than a teaching about different types of soil, this reflection reveals how God acts in history: He goes out to meet humanity, gathers them as a people, and sows in them the new life of Christ. A reading that unites the Exodus, the Passover, and the mission of Jesus in one single history of salvation.
Jesus Goes Out to Gather His People
Today’s Gospel presents Jesus at a decisive moment in his ministry: He begins to speak in parables. But before delving into the parable of the sower, the evangelist offers us a fundamental key to its full understanding. We are not facing a simple pedagogical method, but a revelation about the very way God acts and communicates.
The text says that Jesus “left the house and sat by the sea” (ἐξελθὼν τῆς οἰκίας ἐκάθητο παρὰ τὴν θάλασσαν). Nothing in this beginning is casual. Jesus “goes out” (ἐξελθών), and that verb immediately refers to the exodus. It is the same dynamic of God in history: a God who does not remain closed in on Himself, but who goes out, who approaches, who breaks into history to liberate.
This “going out” of Jesus is the true exodus from Egypt. Egypt is no longer just a geographical place: it is everything that chains human beings, every form of inner slavery, of death, of oppression. Jesus is the new exodus, the living Passover of God in the midst of the world.
And He sits by the sea. The “sea” (θάλασσα), although geographically the Sea of Galilee, is called this by the evangelist because it evokes the Red Sea, the place of Israel’s passage from slavery to freedom. But the sea, in Scripture, is also a symbol of chaos, of the untamable, of the forces of death. Jesus sits there, on the edge, at the place of passage. He Himself becomes the point of transit between death and life.
Seated, as a teacher, He teaches. His word is not theory: it is a path of passage. To listen to Jesus is to cross the sea.
The evangelist adds that “many crowds were gathered before him” (καὶ συνήχθησαν πρὸς αὐτὸν ὄχλοι πολλοί). The verb is in the passive voice: they were gathered. It is not just a spontaneous human movement. It is God who gathers. It is the same dynamism of the Passover: God gathers His people to lead them through.
Here Jesus appears as a new synagogue, the place where God gathers. And, at the same time, as a “synod,” that is, the one around whom the people walk together. All humanity is called to gather around Him to begin a new exodus.
In that context, Jesus begins to speak in parables. And He says: “He spoke many things to them in parables, saying” (ἐλάλησεν αὐτοῖς πολλὰ ἐν παραβολαῖς λέγων).
A parable is not just a comparison. In Hebrew, mashal (משל), it is a way of revealing by hiding and hiding by revealing. Jesus looks at everyday life and in it discovers the mystery of God. But, at the same time, the parable becomes a sea that must be crossed. It is not a discourse that simplifies, but a word that introduces one into the depths.
And the first parable also begins with a “going out”: “Behold, the sower went out to sow” (ἰδοὺ ἐξῆλθεν ὁ σπείρων τοῦ σπείρειν). Again, the exodus. God goes out to sow. God’s movement is not only to liberate: it is also to sow life in the heart of the world.
The Seed That Transforms the Heart
And here a decisive key appears: the seed is the Word, but, ultimately, it is Christ Himself. He is the seed that falls into the soil of our history, that dies and bears fruit. If it does not fall to the ground and die, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces new life.
The parable of the sower then shows us the struggle for that seed.
First, the birds of the sky appear. They are not a mere decorative detail. They represent what snatches away the seed before it takes root. The Gospel is not naive: there is a force contrary to God, a real resistance to the mystery of the Word. It is the enemy who tries to prevent Christ from entering the heart of man.
Then comes the seed that falls on rocky ground, where there is no depth. It is the image of initial enthusiasm that does not withstand the test. There is an authentic experience of God, but without roots. When difficulty comes, everything vanishes. Jesus invites us here to remember the first encounter, not to live only on religious emotions, but to mature in faithfulness.
Then the thorns appear. These are the worries, anxieties, and inner dependencies that choke the Word. They are not necessarily bad things in themselves, but realities that occupy the heart too much and end up suffocating the life of God. Here the call is to discernment: what things are taking God’s place in our lives?
Finally, the good soil. And here appears the great news of the Gospel: the fruitfulness is overflowing. It is not a logic of balance, but of abundance. When the Word finds an open heart, life multiplies beyond imagination.
The Word Continues to Sow Life Today
The key to the whole scene is this: Jesus has gone out to sow, to gather, and to open a way. He Himself is the one who crosses the sea and teaches us to cross it.
Therefore, listening to this parable is not just understanding a teaching. It is allowing oneself to be introduced into the exodus of Jesus. It is allowing His Word to free us from our bondages, gather us as a people, and lead us into a new life.
Today the Lord continues to go out. He continues to sow. He continues to gather. And He continues to tell us, in the midst of our own “sea”: do not be afraid, cross to the other side.
Related posts
The novena to Saint Ezequiel Moreno begins: one and the same prayer, many ways of living it
The novena to Saint Ezequiel Moreno, protector of those sick with cancer, begins. Pray it in PDF, on Hallow, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or receive it each day by email.
Earthquake in Colombia: The historic La Merced convent in Cali, home to the Augustinian Recollect Missionaries, among the most affected sites
The 7.4 magnitude earthquake registered in Colombia has caused severe damage to the historic La Merced convent in Cali, where the Augustinian Recollect Missionaries live. All nuns are safe.
The Augustinian Recollect Family expresses its closeness to the Colombian people following the earthquake
The Augustinian Recollect Family joins in prayer for those affected by the magnitude 7.4 earthquake recorded in Colombia. The Prior General has invited all to entrust the Colombian people to Our Lady of Candelaria.