Wednesday of
the Third Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 319
Lectionary: 319
Every priest stands daily at
his ministry,
offering frequently those same sacrifices
that can never take away sins.
But this one offered one sacrifice for sins,
and took his seat forever at the right hand of God;
now he waits until his enemies are made his footstool.
For by one offering he has made perfect forever
those who are being consecrated.
The Holy Spirit also testifies to us, for after saying:
This is the covenant I will establish with them
after those days, says the Lord:
“I will put my laws in their hearts,
and I will write them upon their minds,”
he also says:
Their sins and their evildoing
I will remember no more.
Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer offering for sin.
offering frequently those same sacrifices
that can never take away sins.
But this one offered one sacrifice for sins,
and took his seat forever at the right hand of God;
now he waits until his enemies are made his footstool.
For by one offering he has made perfect forever
those who are being consecrated.
The Holy Spirit also testifies to us, for after saying:
This is the covenant I will establish with them
after those days, says the Lord:
“I will put my laws in their hearts,
and I will write them upon their minds,”
he also says:
Their sins and their evildoing
I will remember no more.
Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer offering for sin.
Responsorial
Psalm ps 110:1, 2, 3, 4
R. (4b) You are a priest
for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.
The LORD said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand
till I make your enemies your footstool.”
R. You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.
The scepter of your power the LORD will stretch forth from Zion:
“Rule in the midst of your enemies.”
R. You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.
“Yours is princely power in the day of your birth, in holy splendor;
before the daystar, like the dew, I have begotten you.”
R. You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.
The LORD has sworn, and he will not repent:
“You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.”
R. You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.
The LORD said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand
till I make your enemies your footstool.”
R. You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.
The scepter of your power the LORD will stretch forth from Zion:
“Rule in the midst of your enemies.”
R. You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.
“Yours is princely power in the day of your birth, in holy splendor;
before the daystar, like the dew, I have begotten you.”
R. You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.
The LORD has sworn, and he will not repent:
“You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.”
R. You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.
Gospel Mk
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.”
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.”
www.usccb.org
Meditation:"Those who
hear the word and accept it"
What does the parable about seeds and roots say to us about the kingdom of
God? Any farmer will attest to the importance of good soil for supplying
nutrients for growth. And how does a plant get the necessary food and water it
needs except by its roots? The scriptures frequently use the image of
fruit-bearing plants or trees to convey the principle of spiritual life and
death. Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord.
He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and
does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious
in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit (Jeremiah
17:7-8; see also Psalm 1:3) Jesus' parable of the sower is aimed at the hearers of his word. There are different ways of accepting God's word and they produce different kinds of fruit accordingly. There is the prejudiced hearer who has a shut mind. Such a person is unteachable and blind to what he or she doesn't want to hear. Then there is the shallow hearer. He or she fails to think things out or think them through; they lack depth. They may initially respond with an emotional reaction; but when it wears off their mind wanders to something else. Another type of hearer is the person who has many interests or cares, but who lacks the ability to hear or comprehend what is truly important. Such a person is too busy to pray or too preoccupied to study and meditate on God's word. Then there is the one whose mind is open. Such a person is at all times willing to listen and to learn. He or she is never too proud or too busy to learn. They listen in order to understand. God gives grace to those who hunger for his word that they may understand his will and have the strength to live according to it. Do you hunger for God's word?
"Lord Jesus, faith in your word is the way to wisdom, and to ponder your divine plan is to grow in the truth. Open my eyes to your deeds, and my ears to the sound of your call, that I may understand your will for my life and live according to it".
www.dailyscripture.net
 Work for the Harvest |
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Wednesday of the Third Week of Ordinary Time
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Mark
4:1-20
On another occasion
he 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 root; 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."
Introductory Prayer: Lord, I want to spend
these moments close to you. I believe that you are here with me. Take over my
life more and more and make it what it was meant to be. Lord, I put my trust
in you.
Petition: Jesus, make the soil of my heart open to
your word, so that it will bear fruit for eternal life.
1. Beware of the Thieves: What the Father has
planted in our lives is good. Goodness can bear fruit. But Christ has shown
us that there is someone who does not want us to bear fruit. The devil tries
to take goodness from our lives through enticing us with evil, filling our
hearts with selfishness, and making us insensitive to the movements of grace
in our soul. We need to renounce Satan every day by fixing our will on the
goodness of Christ. This is done through sincere prayer and generosity of
spirit.
2. Dig Deep: The strength of our
resolve is tested by the difficulties we face. If we go deeper in our prayer
each day and build up the habit of letting go of our own ego, we can face the
bad times with peace and trust. When our spiritual roots are not deep, we
find ourselves disoriented, even defeated by the tribulations that are part
of an authentic Christian life. Christ teaches us to dig deep. With him as
our friend, difficulties become a way to show our love and to do something
that has eternal value. If I don’t fight, how can I merit a crown of victory?
3. Fruit in Docility: In order to bear
fruit we must be docile to God’s word. But being docile does not mean being
passive. For a Christian, docility to Christ and the Holy Spirit means
willingness to work and serve. We are followers of the One who came to serve.
The Spirit that is self-surrender moves us. To hear the Word of God and
accept it means to make our lives an imitation of Christ’s total
self-giving—day in and day out. God will grant fruit to our lives if we are
willing to be other Christs in the here and now.
Conversation with Christ: Lord, thank you for
showing me how to bear fruit in my life. I want to imitate your
self-surrender to the Father and to souls. I know that this requires a
constant effort to go deep in my life and be docile to the Holy Spirit. Help
me to live as a giver, not a taker. Your love will always be there to
accompany me.
Resolution: Today I will offer up a small sacrifice to
ask God for the grace of acquiring the virtue that I need the most.
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www.regnumchristi.com
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30
MARK 4:1-20
(Hebrews 10:11-18; Psalm 110)
KEY VERSE: "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" (v 20).
READING: A parable is a story designed to illustrate or teach some truth, religious principle, or moral lesson. Parables can be found in the Old and New Testament. Jesus' parables formed approximately one third of his recorded teachings. Although his parables appeared to be simple, the messages they conveyed were deep and compelled people to hear God's truth in a new way. The unexpected points of these stories often surprised his audience, and confused those who were closed to the meaning. In his parable of the sower, Jesus dealt with the proclamation and response to God's word. The seed was the Gospel, which was generously broadcast on the ground (the world). Some seed fell by the wayside and was devoured by the Evil One. Some was sown on the rocky ground of hard hearts where it failed to take root. Some was choked by the thorns of anxiety and worldly concerns. Despite these set-backs, some seed fell on the rich soil of receptive hearts and yielded an abundant harvest.
REFLECTING: What prevents the seed of God's word from growing and maturing in my life?
PRAYING: Lord Jesus, help me to prepare my heart to receive your word
MARK 4:1-20
(Hebrews 10:11-18; Psalm 110)
KEY VERSE: "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" (v 20).
READING: A parable is a story designed to illustrate or teach some truth, religious principle, or moral lesson. Parables can be found in the Old and New Testament. Jesus' parables formed approximately one third of his recorded teachings. Although his parables appeared to be simple, the messages they conveyed were deep and compelled people to hear God's truth in a new way. The unexpected points of these stories often surprised his audience, and confused those who were closed to the meaning. In his parable of the sower, Jesus dealt with the proclamation and response to God's word. The seed was the Gospel, which was generously broadcast on the ground (the world). Some seed fell by the wayside and was devoured by the Evil One. Some was sown on the rocky ground of hard hearts where it failed to take root. Some was choked by the thorns of anxiety and worldly concerns. Despite these set-backs, some seed fell on the rich soil of receptive hearts and yielded an abundant harvest.
REFLECTING: What prevents the seed of God's word from growing and maturing in my life?
PRAYING: Lord Jesus, help me to prepare my heart to receive your word
www.daily-word-of-life.com
January 30
St. Hyacintha of Mariscotti
(1585-1640)
St. Hyacintha of Mariscotti
(1585-1640)
Hyacintha accepted God’s
standards somewhat late in life. Born of a noble family near Viterbo, she
entered a local convent of sisters who followed the Third Order Rule. However,
she supplied herself with enough food, clothing and other goods to live a very
comfortable life amid these sisters pledged to mortification.
A serious illness required that Hyacintha’s confessor
bring Holy Communion to her room. Scandalized on seeing how soft a life she had
provided for herself, the confessor advised her to live more humbly. Hyacintha
disposed of her fine clothes and special foods. She eventually became very
penitential in food and clothing; she was ready to do the most humble work in
the convent. She developed a special devotion to the sufferings of Christ and
by her penances became an inspiration to the sisters in her convent. She was
canonized in 1807.
Comment:
How differently might Hyacintha’s life have ended if her confessor had been afraid to question her pursuit of a soft life! Or what if she had refused to accept any challenge to her comfortable pattern of life? Francis of Assisi expected give and take in fraternal correction among his followers. Humility is required both of the one giving it and of the one receiving the correction; their roles could easily be reversed in the future. Such correction is really an act of charity and should be viewed that way by all concerned.
How differently might Hyacintha’s life have ended if her confessor had been afraid to question her pursuit of a soft life! Or what if she had refused to accept any challenge to her comfortable pattern of life? Francis of Assisi expected give and take in fraternal correction among his followers. Humility is required both of the one giving it and of the one receiving the correction; their roles could easily be reversed in the future. Such correction is really an act of charity and should be viewed that way by all concerned.
Quote:
Francis told his friars: "Blessed is the servant who would accept correction, accusation, and blame from another as patiently as he would from himself. Blessed is the servant who when he is rebuked quietly agrees, respectfully submits, humbly admits his fault, and willingly makes amends" (Admonition XXII).
Francis told his friars: "Blessed is the servant who would accept correction, accusation, and blame from another as patiently as he would from himself. Blessed is the servant who when he is rebuked quietly agrees, respectfully submits, humbly admits his fault, and willingly makes amends" (Admonition XXII).
www.americancatholic.org
Lectio: Mark 4,1-20
Lectio:
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Ordinary Time
1) Opening prayer
All-powerful and ever-living God,
direct your love that is within us,
that our efforts in the name of your Son
may bring mankind to unity and peace.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
All-powerful and ever-living God,
direct your love that is within us,
that our efforts in the name of your Son
may bring mankind to unity and peace.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel Reading - Mark
4,1-20
Again he began to teach them by the lakeside, but such a huge crowd gathered round him that he got into a boat on the water and sat there. The whole crowd were at the lakeside on land. He taught them many things in parables, and in the course of his teaching he said to them, 'Listen! Imagine a sower going out to sow. Now it happened that, as he sowed, some of the seed fell on the edge of the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some seed fell on rocky ground where it found little soil and at once sprang up, because there was no depth of earth; and when the sun came up it was scorched and, not having any roots, it withered away. Some seed fell into thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it produced no crop. And some seeds fell into rich soil, grew tall and strong, and produced a good crop; the yield was thirty, sixty, even a hundredfold.' And he said, 'Anyone who has ears for listening should listen!'
When he was alone, the Twelve, together with the others who formed his company, asked what the parables meant. He told them, 'To you is granted the secret of the kingdom of God, but to those who are outside everything comes in parables, so that they may look and look, but never perceive; listen and listen, but never understand; to avoid changing their ways and being healed.'
He said to them, 'Do you not understand this parable? Then how will you understand any of the parables? What the sower is sowing is the word. Those on the edge of the path where the word is sown are people who have no sooner heard it than Satan at once comes and carries away the word that was sown in them.
Similarly, those who are sown on patches of rock are people who, when first they hear the word, welcome it at once with joy. But they have no root deep down and do not last; should some trial come, or some persecution on account of the word, at once they fall away.
Then there are others who are sown in thorns. These have heard the word, but the worries of the world, the lure of riches and all the other passions come in to choke the word, and so it produces nothing.
And there are those who have been sown in rich soil; they hear the word and accept it and yield a harvest, thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.'
Again he began to teach them by the lakeside, but such a huge crowd gathered round him that he got into a boat on the water and sat there. The whole crowd were at the lakeside on land. He taught them many things in parables, and in the course of his teaching he said to them, 'Listen! Imagine a sower going out to sow. Now it happened that, as he sowed, some of the seed fell on the edge of the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some seed fell on rocky ground where it found little soil and at once sprang up, because there was no depth of earth; and when the sun came up it was scorched and, not having any roots, it withered away. Some seed fell into thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it produced no crop. And some seeds fell into rich soil, grew tall and strong, and produced a good crop; the yield was thirty, sixty, even a hundredfold.' And he said, 'Anyone who has ears for listening should listen!'
When he was alone, the Twelve, together with the others who formed his company, asked what the parables meant. He told them, 'To you is granted the secret of the kingdom of God, but to those who are outside everything comes in parables, so that they may look and look, but never perceive; listen and listen, but never understand; to avoid changing their ways and being healed.'
He said to them, 'Do you not understand this parable? Then how will you understand any of the parables? What the sower is sowing is the word. Those on the edge of the path where the word is sown are people who have no sooner heard it than Satan at once comes and carries away the word that was sown in them.
Similarly, those who are sown on patches of rock are people who, when first they hear the word, welcome it at once with joy. But they have no root deep down and do not last; should some trial come, or some persecution on account of the word, at once they fall away.
Then there are others who are sown in thorns. These have heard the word, but the worries of the world, the lure of riches and all the other passions come in to choke the word, and so it produces nothing.
And there are those who have been sown in rich soil; they hear the word and accept it and yield a harvest, thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.'
3) Reflection
• Sitting in the boat, Jesus taught the crowds. In these verses, Mark describes the way in which Jesus teaches the crowd: on the sea side, sitting in the boat, many people around to listen to him. Jesus was not a cultured person (Jn 7, 15). He had not frequented the Superior School of Jerusalem. He had come from inside, from the country side, from Nazareth. He was someone who was unknown, in part, he was a craftsman, in part a country man. Without asking permission from the authority, he began to teach the people. He spoke in a very different way. People liked to listen to him.
• By means of the parables, Jesus helped people to perceive the mysterious presence of the Kingdom in the things of life. A parable is a comparison. He uses the known and visible things of life to explain the invisible and unknown things of the Kingdom of God. For example, the people from Galilee understood when he spoke of seeds, of soil, of rain, of the sun, of the salt, of flowers, of fish, of the harvest, etc. And Jesus, precisely, uses in his parable, these things which were known to the people, to explain the mystery of the Kingdom.
• The parable of the sower is a picture of the life of the farmers. At that time, it was not easy to get a livelihood from agriculture. The land was full of stones. There were many bushes; little rain, much sun. Besides, many times, people in order to shorten the distance passed through the fields and stepped on the plants. (Mk 2, 23). But in spite of that, every year, the farmer sowed and planted, trustful in the force of the seed, in the generosity of nature.
• He who has ears to listen, let him listen! Jesus begins the parable saying: “Listen! (Mk 4, 3). Now, at the end, he says: “He who has ears to listen, let him listen!” The way to understand the parable is research, seeking, “Trying to understand!” The parable does not give us everything ready made, but induces those who listen to think and discover, basing themselves on the lived experience which they have of the seed. It induces to creativity and to participation. It is not a doctrine that arrives ready made to be taught and decorated. The Parable does not give bottled water, but rather leads one to the fountain or source. The farmer who listens, says: Seed in the ground, I know what that is!” But Jesus says that this has something to do with the Kingdom of God. What would this be? And one can already guess the long conversations of the crowd. The parable affects the people, moves them and impels them to listen to nature and to think about life.
• Jesus explains the parable to his disciples. At home, alone with Jesus, the disciples want to know the meaning of the parable. They do not understand it. Jesus was surprised before their ignorance (Mk 4, 13) and responds with a difficult and mysterious phrase. He tells his disciples: “To you is granted the secret of the Kingdom of God; but to those who are outside everything comes in parables, so that they may look and look and never perceive, listen and listen but never understand, to avoid changing their ways and being healed!”. This phrase leads people to ask themselves. But, then for what good is the parable? To clarify or to hide? Perhaps Jesus uses parables in order that people may continue to live in ignorance and does not reach conversion? Certainly not! Because in another point Mark says that Jesus used parables “according to what they could understand” (Mk 4, 33).
• Sitting in the boat, Jesus taught the crowds. In these verses, Mark describes the way in which Jesus teaches the crowd: on the sea side, sitting in the boat, many people around to listen to him. Jesus was not a cultured person (Jn 7, 15). He had not frequented the Superior School of Jerusalem. He had come from inside, from the country side, from Nazareth. He was someone who was unknown, in part, he was a craftsman, in part a country man. Without asking permission from the authority, he began to teach the people. He spoke in a very different way. People liked to listen to him.
• By means of the parables, Jesus helped people to perceive the mysterious presence of the Kingdom in the things of life. A parable is a comparison. He uses the known and visible things of life to explain the invisible and unknown things of the Kingdom of God. For example, the people from Galilee understood when he spoke of seeds, of soil, of rain, of the sun, of the salt, of flowers, of fish, of the harvest, etc. And Jesus, precisely, uses in his parable, these things which were known to the people, to explain the mystery of the Kingdom.
• The parable of the sower is a picture of the life of the farmers. At that time, it was not easy to get a livelihood from agriculture. The land was full of stones. There were many bushes; little rain, much sun. Besides, many times, people in order to shorten the distance passed through the fields and stepped on the plants. (Mk 2, 23). But in spite of that, every year, the farmer sowed and planted, trustful in the force of the seed, in the generosity of nature.
• He who has ears to listen, let him listen! Jesus begins the parable saying: “Listen! (Mk 4, 3). Now, at the end, he says: “He who has ears to listen, let him listen!” The way to understand the parable is research, seeking, “Trying to understand!” The parable does not give us everything ready made, but induces those who listen to think and discover, basing themselves on the lived experience which they have of the seed. It induces to creativity and to participation. It is not a doctrine that arrives ready made to be taught and decorated. The Parable does not give bottled water, but rather leads one to the fountain or source. The farmer who listens, says: Seed in the ground, I know what that is!” But Jesus says that this has something to do with the Kingdom of God. What would this be? And one can already guess the long conversations of the crowd. The parable affects the people, moves them and impels them to listen to nature and to think about life.
• Jesus explains the parable to his disciples. At home, alone with Jesus, the disciples want to know the meaning of the parable. They do not understand it. Jesus was surprised before their ignorance (Mk 4, 13) and responds with a difficult and mysterious phrase. He tells his disciples: “To you is granted the secret of the Kingdom of God; but to those who are outside everything comes in parables, so that they may look and look and never perceive, listen and listen but never understand, to avoid changing their ways and being healed!”. This phrase leads people to ask themselves. But, then for what good is the parable? To clarify or to hide? Perhaps Jesus uses parables in order that people may continue to live in ignorance and does not reach conversion? Certainly not! Because in another point Mark says that Jesus used parables “according to what they could understand” (Mk 4, 33).
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• The parable reveals and hides at the same time! It reveals to “those who are inside”, who accept Jesus, the Messiah, the Servant. It hides for those who insist in considering him the Messiah, the glorious King. They understand the images of the parable, but they do not succeed to get the significance.
• The explanation of the parable in its different parts. One after another, Jesus explains the parts of the parable, the seed, the soil up to the harvest time. Some scholars hold that this explanation was added later, and would have been given by some communities. This is well possible! Because in the bud of the parable there is already the flower of the explanation. Bud and flower, both have the same origin which is Jesus. For this reason, we also can continue to reflect and discover other beautiful things in the parable. Once, a person asked in community: “Jesus has said that we should be salt. For what does salt serve?” This was discussed and at the end there were discovered more than ten diverse purposes that salt can have! Then these significances were applied to the life of the community and it was discovered that to be salt is something difficult and demanding. The parable functioned! The same for what concerns the seed. Everybody has some experience of the seed.
4) Personal questions
• What experience do you have with seeds? How does this help you to understand the Good News better?
• What type of soil are you?
• What experience do you have with seeds? How does this help you to understand the Good News better?
• What type of soil are you?
5) Concluding prayer
Fix your gaze on Yahweh
and your face will grow bright,
you will never hang your head in shame. (Ps 34,5)
Fix your gaze on Yahweh
and your face will grow bright,
you will never hang your head in shame. (Ps 34,5)
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