MONTHLY DEVOTIONAL FOR 28 JANUARY
January 28, 2026
FEAST OF SAINT DALLÁN FORGAILL – 29th JANUARY
January 29, 2026
TODAY’S GOSPEL READING
28 JANUARY, 2026
Mark 4:1-20
On another occasion, Jesus began to teach by the sea.
A very large crowd gathered around him
so that he got into a boat on the sea and sat down.
And the whole crowd was beside the sea on land.
And he taught them at length in parables,
and in the course of his instruction he said to them,
“Hear this! A sower went out to sow.
And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path,
and the birds came and ate it up.
Other seed fell on rocky ground where it had little soil.
It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep.
And when the sun rose, it was scorched and it withered for lack of roots.
Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it
and it produced no grain.
And some seed fell on rich soil and produced fruit.
It came up and grew and yielded thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.”
He added, “Whoever has ears to hear ought to hear.”
And when he was alone,
those present along with the Twelve
questioned him about the parables.
He answered them,
“The mystery of the Kingdom of God has been granted to you.
But to those outside everything comes in parables, so that
they may look and see but not perceive,
and hear and listen but not understand,
in order that they may not be converted and be forgiven.”
Jesus said to them, “Do you not understand this parable?
Then how will you understand any of the parables?
The sower sows the word.
These are the ones on the path where the word is sown.
As soon as they hear, Satan comes at once
and takes away the word sown in them.
And these are the ones sown on rocky ground who,
when they hear the word, receive it at once with joy.
But they have no roots; they last only for a time.
Then when tribulation or persecution comes because of the word,
they quickly fall away.
Those sown among thorns are another sort.
They are the people who hear the word,
but worldly anxiety, the lure of riches,
and the craving for other things intrude and choke the word,
and it bears no fruit.
But those sown on rich soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it
and bear fruit thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.”
THE GOSPEL OF THE LORD!
REFLECTION
Jesus’ parable of the sower reminds us that the Word of God is always generous and life-giving, but the fruit it bears depends on the soil of our hearts. Some hearts are distracted, some are shallow, and some are crowded with worries and desires that choke faith. Yet when the Word is welcomed with openness, patience, and perseverance, it produces an abundant harvest. This passage gently invites us to examine our hearts and ask what kind of soil we are offering to God each day.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, divine Sower, sow Your Word anew in our hearts. Clear away what hardens us, deepen what is shallow within us, and remove whatever chokes our trust in You. Make our hearts good soil, ready to receive Your truth, so that our lives may bear fruit in faith, love, and obedience, to the glory of God. Amen
