Good morning, Good People,
May the Lord give you peace and blessings in the Holy Spirit as we celebrate the feast of St. James, the Apostle.
It is 25th July 2025. We reflect on Exodus 20:1–17 and Matthew 13:18–23.
Are we rooting in His Word or shooting our worries?
St. John Chrysostom, reflecting on the apostolic zeal of St. James, once preached: “The son of thunder did not preach himself but Christ crucified, and through that thunder of grace, he broke the hearts of many and led them to repentance.”
At times, we stand at the crossroads of life, wondering which path leads to lasting blessing and true freedom. Today’s first reading reveals that path clearly: the Ten Commandments. They are not burdens but seeds—sacred, life-giving words—planted deep in the soil of our hearts, meant to germinate and blossom into holiness.
As the Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us:
“God has loved us first. The love of the One God is recalled in the first of the ‘ten words.’ The commandments then make explicitly the response of love that man is called to give to his God.” (CCC 2083)
God, the divine Sower, scatters His Word with unmatched generosity. He casts it into every type of terrain—stony, shallow, thorny, and fertile. The parable of the sower in the Gospel invites us to examine the condition of our hearts. Do we receive the Word with openness or with obstacles? Do we allow the worries of this world or the lure of riches to choke the grace?
The Decalogue is love in action—love for God and love for neighbour. The first three commandments help us revere God and honour the Sabbath. The remaining seven shape our relationships:
- The fourth teaches reverence for our parents—the foundation of social harmony.
- The fifth, sixth, and ninth uphold the sanctity of life and family, protecting us from ideologies that fracture the domestic church.
- The seventh and tenth command us to guard the rights and property of others, affirming justice and stewardship.
When we live by these commandments, we become fertile soil—yielding fruit thirty, sixty, even a hundredfold. True freedom and happiness lie not in self-indulgence, but in faithful obedience to the Word of God.
Pope Francis encouraged us to be faithful to the commandments: “The Ten Commandments are a path to freedom because they help us avoid the slavery of selfishness and sin, guiding us toward a life of love.”
Let us then embrace God’s commandments not as restrictions, but as invitations—to grow, to flourish, to live fully and fruitfully. May His Word find in us rich soil. May our lives proclaim His truth in all we do and say.
God bless you abundantly.
Let the seeds of His Word take root and bear fruit.