Ember Saturday (opt. St. Januarius / BVM Saturday)

Paul answers the mystery of the resurrection body with the plainest image available - a seed that does not come to life unless it first dies, sown in weakness and raised in power. The Gospel gives the parable of the sower in full, told and then explained: the same seed lands on four different kinds of ground, and only the ground that holds it through perseverance produces a harvest. Today closes the autumn Ember Days with the oldest of their associations - the vigil kept through the night before dawn ordinations, something planted long before finally becoming visible.

Paul answers a question the Corinthians have raised about how the dead are raised and with what kind of body: he compares it to a seed, which does not come to life unless it dies, and which rises utterly transformed from what was sown - sown perishable, raised imperishable; sown in weakness, raised in power; sown a natural body, raised a spiritual body. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven. Psalm 56 expresses trust in God amid opposition, confident that God has rescued the psalmist's soul from death so that he may walk in the presence of God, in the light of the living. In the Gospel, Jesus tells the parable of the sower, whose seed falls on the path, on rock, among thorns, and on good soil, with only the last producing a harvest. He then explains the parable to his disciples: the seed is the word of God, and the four soils represent those who lose the word to the devil, who fall away under trial, who are choked by life's cares and pleasures, and who hold the word fast in an honest and good heart, bearing fruit through perseverance.

Lord Jesus, you are the seed that fell into the earth and rose to new life: Lord, have mercy. Christ Jesus, you sow your word on every kind of ground without withholding it: Christ, have mercy. Lord Jesus, you ask of us a good and honest heart that perseveres: Lord, have mercy.

Introduction: Father, you sow your word freely on every kind of ground, and you ask of us only the perseverance to hold what we have received. Trusting in your patience, we bring you our needs:

1. For the Church, that she would keep sowing generously even in soil that seems unpromising; we pray to the Lord.
2. For our Holy Father, our bishop, and all who preach the word, that they would not withhold it from any kind of ground; we pray to the Lord.
3. For all men discerning a call to priesthood or the diaconate, that they would find good soil to grow in; we pray to the Lord.
4. For everyone in this parish who has sown something faithfully and seen no harvest yet, that they would not lose heart; we pray to the Lord.
5. As the autumn Ember Days close tonight, for a spirit of ongoing thanksgiving for the harvest, seen and unseen; we pray to the Lord.
6. For all who have died, especially [name], that what was sown in weakness would be raised in power; we pray to the Lord.

Concluding prayer: Father, you turn a buried seed into a harvest beyond what was planted. Receive the prayers of your people, and give us the good and honest heart that holds fast to your word through every season. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.