Sep 19 – Memorial for St. Januarius, Bishop and Martyr
St. Januarius (d. 305) was arrested on account of his profession of the Christian religion during persecution of Christians. He was cast into the fiery furnace, through which he passed wholly unharmed. On the following day, along with a number of fellow martyrs, he was exposed to the fury of wild beasts, which laid themselves down in tame submission at his feet.
Timotheus, the governor who pronounced the sentence of death upon Januarius, was struck with blindness but was immediately healed by the powerful intercession of the saint, a miracle which converted nearly five thousand men on the spot. The ungrateful judge, only roused to further fury by these occurrences, caused the execution of Januarius by the sword to be forthwith carried out. The body was ultimately removed by the inhabitants of Naples to that city, where the relic became very famous for its miracles.
- Patron Saint Index
1 Cor 15:35-37,42-49
Lk 8:4-15
…the thing that is sown is perishable but what is raised is imperishable…
St Paul reminds us today, that our earthly life is not the end of our story. Everything we now experience — the frailty of our bodies, the struggles of discipleship, the constant battle against sin — is preparing us for something infinitely greater. The resurrection of the body is not merely the restoration of what we now possess, but its complete transformation. God does not simply repair what has become weak; He glorifies it.
Using the image of a seed, St Paul writes, “The thing that you sow is not what is going to come…” (1 Cor 15:37). A seed must first disappear beneath the earth before new life emerges. It seems to die, yet within it lies the promise of something far more beautiful than anyone could imagine by merely looking at it. So too with us. “…the thing that is sown is contemptible but what is raised is glorious; the thing that is sown is weak but what is raised is powerful…” (1 Cor 15:42-43). Our glorified bodies will be transfigured by God’s own life, sharing forever in the victory of the Risen Christ.
This is the destiny for which every Christian is created. We are not made simply to survive this world or to accumulate its passing comforts. We are made for eternity. We are made for glory. We are made to behold God face to face, and to walk forever in His light as His beloved children.
Yet, today’s Gospel gently reminds us that this glorious destiny is not automatic. The seed of eternal life is already being sown into our hearts now. The question is not whether God sows, but whether we are willing to receive.
How astonishing is the generosity of the Divine Sower. He scatters His seed everywhere. He does not reserve His grace only for fertile ground. He sows upon the path, among rocks, into thorny places and upon rich soil alike. He knows our weaknesses far better than we do, yet He never ceases to sow. He continues to speak through His Word, through the sacraments, through prayer, through suffering, through those He places in our lives, and through the quiet promptings of the Holy Spirit. His patience is as boundless as His mercy.
If we are honest, we recognise every kind of soil within ourselves. At times, our hearts are hard, resistant to God’s voice because pride or self-reliance has made us believe we know better. At other times, we receive His word with enthusiasm, only to lose heart when trials come. Often, the thorns of anxiety, ambition, possessions, comfort and worldly distractions quietly choke the life of grace before it has the chance to mature. Sometimes, our hearts seem almost barren, as though there is hardly any soil at all upon which His word can rest.
Yet, still He sows.
Perhaps the real question is not whether God is speaking, but whether we are listening. Jesus concludes the parable with a simple invitation: “Listen, anyone who has ears to hear!” (Lk 8:8). Do we truly have ears that listen to His Word above the endless noise of the world? Do we have eyes enlightened by the wisdom that comes from above, able to distinguish what is righteous, holy and life-giving from what is merely attractive, temporary and passing?
How easily we spend ourselves seeking treasures that cannot endure. We devote enormous energy to achievements, possessions, reputation and security, yet all these belong to a world that is passing away. St Paul reminds us that “The first man, being from the earth, is earthly by nature; the second man is from heaven.” (1 Cor 15:47). If we belong to Christ, then our deepest longing should no longer be shaped by what is earthly, but by what is eternal. Every choice either prepares us for glory or draws us further from it.
The Lord desires nothing more than to cultivate the soil of our hearts. Through prayer, repentance, the Eucharist, Scripture and the ordinary sacrifices of daily discipleship, He tills the hardened ground, removes the choking thorns and deepens our roots. He does not force our co-operation, but patiently waits for our consent. Day after day, He offers fresh opportunities to begin again, to seek first His Kingdom, to desire what lasts forever rather than what fades away.
May we never lose sight of the glorious hope that awaits us. The resurrection of the body is not simply a future promise, but a present calling. As we allow Christ to transform the soil of our hearts today, His seed will take root, grow and bear fruit that endures into eternity. Then, when the day of resurrection dawns, we shall “…be modelled on the heavenly man” (1 Cor 15:49), rejoicing in the everlasting glory prepared for all who have faithfully walked in the light of the Lord.
(Today’s OXYGEN by Susanah Cheok)
Prayer: Dear Lord, our eternal gardener, open my heart to receive the nourishing graces that I need to be fruitful in all things — big and small, easy and difficult, joyful and sorrowful. Allow the soil of my heart to be rich and promising, no matter the conditions and circumstances of my life.
Thanksgiving: I am grateful for your generous sowing, dear Lord. May I never forsake – at my own eternal peril and perdition – the sweet opportunities to bear fruit from the seeds that you plant in my life.
OXYGEN 
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