Deacon:  Wisdom. Stand up. Hear the Holy Gospel.

Priest:   Peace to you all. 

People:  And to your spirit.

Deacon: A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Luke [8:5-15]

People:  Glory to You Lord. Glory to You.

Priest:   Listen.

Deacon:

At that time, Jesus said,

‘A sower went out to sow his grain.

‘Now as he sowed, some fell on the edge of the path and was trodden on, and was eaten up by the birds of the air.

‘Some grain fell on rock, and when it sprouted up, it withered, since it had no moisture.

‘Some grain fell in the middle of thorns, and the thorns grew with it, and choked it.

‘And some grain fell in good soil, and grew, and produced a hundred times more grain.

Having said this, Jesus said loudly, ‘Anyone who has ears to hear, should listen well.’

His disciples asked him what the parable meant. He said, ‘You are permitted to understand the secrets of the kingdom of God. For the others, it remains just a story, so that they may look, but not see, and listen, but not understand.’

‘So then, the parable means this.

‘The grain is the word of God.

‘Those on the edge of the path are people who have heard it, and then the devil comes and carries away the word from their hearts, otherwise they would believe and be saved.

‘Those on the rock are people who first hear the word and rejoice in it. But they have no depth. They believe for a while, but in time of trial they give up. 

‘For those who fall among thorns, these are people who have heard, but as they go about their daily life, they are choked by worries, and riches, and pleasures of life, and they never produce any grain.

‘As for those in fertile soil, these are people with a noble and generous heart. They hear the word, grow it within themselves, and yield a harvest by their persistence.

People: Glory to You Lord, Glory to You.