Wednesday of the
Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 397
Lectionary: 397
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| EX 16: 1-15 |
The children of Israel set out from
Elim,
and came into the desert of Sin,
which is between Elim and Sinai,
on the fifteenth day of the second month
after their departure from the land of Egypt.
Here in the desert the whole assembly of the children of Israel
grumbled against Moses and Aaron.
The children of Israel said to them,
“Would that we had died at the LORD’s hand in the land of Egypt,
as we sat by our fleshpots and ate our fill of bread!
But you had to lead us into this desert
to make the whole community die of famine!”
Then the LORD said to Moses,
“I will now rain down bread from heaven for you.
Each day the people are to go out and gather their daily portion;
thus will I test them,
to see whether they follow my instructions or not.
On the sixth day, however, when they prepare what they bring in,
let it be twice as much as they gather on the other days.”
Then Moses said to Aaron, “Tell the whole congregation
of the children of Israel:
Present yourselves before the LORD,
for he has heard your grumbling.”
When Aaron announced this to the whole assembly of the children of Israel,
they turned toward the desert, and lo,
the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud!
The LORD spoke to Moses and said,
“I have heard the grumbling of the children of Israel.
Tell them: In the evening twilight you shall eat flesh,
and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread,
so that you may know that I, the LORD, am your God.”
In the evening quail came up and covered the camp.
In the morning a dew lay all about the camp,
and when the dew evaporated, there on the surface of the desert
were fine flakes like hoarfrost on the ground.
On seeing it, the children of Israel asked one another, “What is this?”
for they did not know what it was.
But Moses told them,
“This is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat.”
and came into the desert of Sin,
which is between Elim and Sinai,
on the fifteenth day of the second month
after their departure from the land of Egypt.
Here in the desert the whole assembly of the children of Israel
grumbled against Moses and Aaron.
The children of Israel said to them,
“Would that we had died at the LORD’s hand in the land of Egypt,
as we sat by our fleshpots and ate our fill of bread!
But you had to lead us into this desert
to make the whole community die of famine!”
Then the LORD said to Moses,
“I will now rain down bread from heaven for you.
Each day the people are to go out and gather their daily portion;
thus will I test them,
to see whether they follow my instructions or not.
On the sixth day, however, when they prepare what they bring in,
let it be twice as much as they gather on the other days.”
Then Moses said to Aaron, “Tell the whole congregation
of the children of Israel:
Present yourselves before the LORD,
for he has heard your grumbling.”
When Aaron announced this to the whole assembly of the children of Israel,
they turned toward the desert, and lo,
the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud!
The LORD spoke to Moses and said,
“I have heard the grumbling of the children of Israel.
Tell them: In the evening twilight you shall eat flesh,
and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread,
so that you may know that I, the LORD, am your God.”
In the evening quail came up and covered the camp.
In the morning a dew lay all about the camp,
and when the dew evaporated, there on the surface of the desert
were fine flakes like hoarfrost on the ground.
On seeing it, the children of Israel asked one another, “What is this?”
for they did not know what it was.
But Moses told them,
“This is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat.”
Responsorial PsalmPS 78:18-19, 23-24, 25-26, 27-28
R. (24b) The Lord gave them bread from heaven.
They tempted God in their hearts
by demanding the food they craved.
Yes, they spoke against God, saying,
“Can God spread a table in the desert?”
R. The Lord gave them bread from heaven.
Yet he commanded the skies above
and the doors of heaven he opened;
He rained manna upon them for food
and gave them heavenly bread.
R. The Lord gave them bread from heaven.
Man ate the bread of angels,
food he sent them in abundance.
He stirred up the east wind in the heavens,
and by his power brought on the south wind.
R. The Lord gave them bread from heaven.
And he rained meat upon them like dust,
and, like the sand of the sea, winged fowl,
Which fell in the midst of their camp
round about their tents.
R. The Lord gave them bread from heaven.
They tempted God in their hearts
by demanding the food they craved.
Yes, they spoke against God, saying,
“Can God spread a table in the desert?”
R. The Lord gave them bread from heaven.
Yet he commanded the skies above
and the doors of heaven he opened;
He rained manna upon them for food
and gave them heavenly bread.
R. The Lord gave them bread from heaven.
Man ate the bread of angels,
food he sent them in abundance.
He stirred up the east wind in the heavens,
and by his power brought on the south wind.
R. The Lord gave them bread from heaven.
And he rained meat upon them like dust,
and, like the sand of the sea, winged fowl,
Which fell in the midst of their camp
round about their tents.
R. The Lord gave them bread from heaven.
GospelMT 13:1-9
On that day, Jesus
went out of the house and sat down by the sea.
Such large crowds gathered around him
that he got into a boat and sat down,
and the whole crowd stood along the shore.
And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying:
“A sower went out to sow.
And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path,
and birds came and ate it up.
Some 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.
But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit,
a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.
Whoever has ears ought to hear.”
Such large crowds gathered around him
that he got into a boat and sat down,
and the whole crowd stood along the shore.
And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying:
“A sower went out to sow.
And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path,
and birds came and ate it up.
Some 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.
But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit,
a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.
Whoever has ears ought to hear.”
Meditation: "Since they had no root
they withered away"
Are
you hungry for God's word? Matthew tells us that Jesus taught many things to
those who came to listen and learn. Jesus' teaching method was a very simple
one. He used parables – short stories and images taken from everyday life to
convey hidden truths about the kingdom of God. Like a skillful artist, Jesus
painted evocative pictures with short and simple words. A good image can speak
more loudly and clearly than many words. Jesus used the ordinary everyday images
of life and nature to point to another order of reality – hidden, yet visible
to those who had "eyes to see" and "ears to hear". Jesus
communicated with pictures and stories, vivid illustrations which captured the
imaginations of his audience more powerfully than an abstract presentation
could. His parables are like buried treasure waiting to be discovered (Matthew
13:44).
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 for
ever too busy to pray or too preoccupied to study and meditate on God's word.
He or she may work so hard that they are too tired to even think of anything
else but their work. 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."
 A Hundred or Sixty or Thirty-Fold |
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Wednesday of the
Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time
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Matthew 13:1-9
On that day, Jesus
went out of the house and sat down by the sea. Such large crowds gathered
around him that he got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd stood
along the shore. And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying: "A
sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and birds
came and ate it up. Some 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. But some seed fell on rich soil, and
produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirty fold. Whoever has ears ought to
hear."
Introductory Prayer: Lord, my prayer will “work” only if I have humility in your
presence. So I am approaching you with meekness and humility of heart. I have
an infinite need for you and your grace. Thinking about this helps me grow in
humility. I trust in you and your grace. Thank you for the unfathomable gift
of your love.
Petition: Lord, may I always respond to your grace in my heart with
fervor and active love.
1. Tears of a
Sower: Imagine Jesus
preaching to the crowds, hoping for a positive response, but instead
witnessing many people turning a deaf ear to his message of salvation. One
day he is thinking about this as he watches a farmer sowing seed. He sees
birds come immediately and take some away. He sees previously sown seed
scorched by the sun. He sees some sprouts strangled by weeds. He then
remembers the faces and perhaps even the names of people who heard his
message, but who chose not to respond or whose response was short-lived. We
are reminded of another Gospel passage: “As he drew near Jerusalem, he saw
the city and wept over it, saying ‘If this day you only knew what makes for
peace -- but now it is hidden from your eyes’” (Luke 19:41).
2. Rebellion or
Rest: The admonition to
heed the word of God is frequent in Scripture. In the Book of Hebrews the
author warns us to “harden not your hearts as at the rebellion in the day of
testing in the desert.” The people of Israel responded in this unfortunate
way after the exodus from Egypt. “They have always been of erring heart, and
they do not know my ways. As I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter into
my rest’” (Cf. Hebrews 3: 7-11). This helps us foster a healthy fear of the
Lord, encouraging us to work hard to conquer all hardness of heart and remain
close to Christ so as to enter into his rest.
3. Fruits of
Virtue: “But some seed fell
on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirty-fold.” The
fruit that Our Lord wishes us to produce are virtues inspired by faith, hope
and love. If we are growing in virtue each day in imitation of Christ and for
love of him, we can be sure we are heeding his voice and are pleasing in his
eyes. The greatest of all virtues is charity, a practical and effective love
for our neighbor. We can contemplate the lives of the saints to see how these
fruits are played out in a way truly pleasing to Christ.
Conversation with
Christ: Lord, you know how
easy it is for me to allow mediocrity to slip into my life. The cares and
worries of life often push you and your kingdom to a secondary plane. Grant
me the habit of carving out time for you in prayer each day, and carving out
space for you in my life and the lives of those under my care.
Resolution: I will renew my effort with whatever prayer
commitment I have allowed to waver or falter the most.
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WEDNESDAY, JULY 24
MATTHEW 13:1-9
MATTHEW 13:1-9
(Exodus 16:1-5, 9-15; Psalm 78)
KEY VERSE: "But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold" (v 8).
READING: Chapter 13 is Jesus' third sermon in Matthew's gospel. It consists almost entirely of parables (Hebrew, mashal). Jesus' parables were primarily stories that invited the hearer to search for the meaning of Christian truths he was teaching and put them into action. In the parable of the sower, Jesus referred to the planting methods employed in Palestine of his day. Since the seed was sown on rocky and unproductive soil, a great deal of the farmer's efforts were wasted and the crop was only moderately successful. Jesus compared this to his task of proclaiming God's word. Although it was arduous work, Jesus' followers were privileged to have heard his words. They were the "rich soil" which would produce abundant fruit. He encouraged them to persevere in their task no matter how many accepted their message or rewarded them for their labor.
REFLECTING: Do I persist in proclaiming the gospel when I am discouraged?
PRAYING: Lord Jesus, open my ears to your revealed truth.
Optional Memorial of Sharbel Makhluf, priest
Joseph Zaroun Makhlouf was raised by an uncle who opposed the boy's youthful piety. At age 23 Joseph snuck away to join the Baladite monastery of St. Maron at Annaya where he took the name Sharbel in memory of a 2nd century martyr. Sharbel was a model monk, but dreamed of living like the ancient desert fathers. He became a hermit from 1875 until his death 23 years later, living an ascetic life. He gained a reputation for holiness, and was sought after for counseling. He had a great personal devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, and was known to levitate during his prayers. He was briefly paralyzed for unknown reasons just before his death. There were several post-mortem miracles attributed to him, including periods in 1927 and 1950 when a bloody "sweat" flowed from his corpse. His tomb has become a place of pilgrimage for Lebanese and non-Lebanese, Christian and non-Christian alike. He was canonized 9 October 1977 by Pope Paul VI.
The Lord gave
them bread from heaven
The parable of the sower gives us insight into the spirituality of
Jesus and encourages us to cultivate that spirituality in our daily living.One aspect of the spirituality of Jesus is that he remains strong in the face of persistent opposition. This enables him to keep on reaching out lovingly to his disciples and through them to us. What he is looking for is a response to his words that really comes from the heart.
The context of this event by the lake is that Jesus is giving more time to the needs of his disciples but nonetheless still teaching and healing the crowds. He is in the position of the sower scattering his words widely. In some cases he achieves little return but often he receives the response that he is seeking from the hearts of his hearers.
July 24
St. Sharbel Makhluf
(1828-1898)
St. Sharbel Makhluf
(1828-1898)
Although this saint never traveled far from the Lebanese village
of Beka-Kafra, where he was born, his influence has spread widely.
Joseph Zaroun Makluf was raised by an uncle because his father, a
mule driver, died when Joseph was only three. At the age of 23, Joseph joined
the Monastery of St. Maron at Annaya, Lebanon, and took the name Sharbel in
honor of a second-century martyr. He professed his final vows in 1853 and was
ordained six years later.
Following the example of the fifth-century St. Maron, Sharbel
lived as a hermit from 1875 until his death. His reputation for holiness
prompted people to seek him to receive a blessing and to be remembered in his
prayers. He followed a strict fast and was very devoted to the Blessed
Sacrament. When his superiors occasionally asked him to administer the
sacraments to nearby villages, Sharbel did so gladly.
He died in the late afternoon on Christmas Eve. Christians and
non-Christians soon made his tomb a place of pilgrimage and of cures. Pope Paul
VI beatified him in 1965 and canonized him 12 years later.
Comment:
Blessed John Paul II often said that the Church has two lungs (East and West) and it must learn to breathe using both of them. Remembering saints like Sharbel helps the Church to appreciate both the diversity and unity present in the Catholic Church. Like all the saints, Sharbel points us to God and invites us to cooperate generously with God's grace, no matter what our situation in life may be. As our prayer life becomes deeper and more honest, we become more ready to make that generous response.
Blessed John Paul II often said that the Church has two lungs (East and West) and it must learn to breathe using both of them. Remembering saints like Sharbel helps the Church to appreciate both the diversity and unity present in the Catholic Church. Like all the saints, Sharbel points us to God and invites us to cooperate generously with God's grace, no matter what our situation in life may be. As our prayer life becomes deeper and more honest, we become more ready to make that generous response.
Quote:
When Sharbel was canonized in 1977, Bishop Francis Zayek, head the U.S. Diocese of St. Maron, wrote a pamphlet entitled “A New Star of the East.” Bishop Zayek wrote: “St. Sharbel is called the second St. Anthony of the Desert, the Perfume of Lebanon, the first Confessor of the East to be raised to the Altars according to the actual procedure of the Catholic Church, the honor of our Aramaic Antiochian Church, and the model of spiritual values and renewal. Sharbel is like a Cedar of Lebanon standing in eternal prayer, on top of a mountain.”
When Sharbel was canonized in 1977, Bishop Francis Zayek, head the U.S. Diocese of St. Maron, wrote a pamphlet entitled “A New Star of the East.” Bishop Zayek wrote: “St. Sharbel is called the second St. Anthony of the Desert, the Perfume of Lebanon, the first Confessor of the East to be raised to the Altars according to the actual procedure of the Catholic Church, the honor of our Aramaic Antiochian Church, and the model of spiritual values and renewal. Sharbel is like a Cedar of Lebanon standing in eternal prayer, on top of a mountain.”
The bishop noted that Sharbel's canonization plus other
beatification cases prove “that the Aramaic Maronite Antiochian Church is
indeed a living branch of the Catholic Church and is intimately connected with
the trunk, who is Christ, our Savior, the beginning and the end of all things.”
LECTIO: MATTHEW 13,1-9
Lectio:
Wednesday, July
24, 2013
Ordinary
Time
1) Opening prayer
Lord,
be merciful to your people.
Fill us with your gifts
and make us always eager to serve you
in faith, hope and love.
You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
be merciful to your people.
Fill us with your gifts
and make us always eager to serve you
in faith, hope and love.
You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel Reading –
Matthew 13,1-9
That same day, Jesus
left the house and sat by the lakeside, but such large crowds gathered round
him that he got into the boat and sat there. The people all stood on the shore
and he told them many things in parables.
He said, ‘Listen, a sower went out to sow.
As he sowed, some seeds fell on the edge of the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Others fell on patches of rock where they found little soil and sprang up at once, because there was no depth of earth; but as soon as the sun came up they were scorched and, not having any roots, they withered away. Others fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Others fell on rich soil and produced their crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Anyone who has ears should listen!’
He said, ‘Listen, a sower went out to sow.
As he sowed, some seeds fell on the edge of the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Others fell on patches of rock where they found little soil and sprang up at once, because there was no depth of earth; but as soon as the sun came up they were scorched and, not having any roots, they withered away. Others fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Others fell on rich soil and produced their crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Anyone who has ears should listen!’
3) Reflection
• In chapter 13 of the
Gospel of Matthew the third great discourse begins, the Discourse of
the Parables. As we already said before, in the commentary on the
Gospel of July 9th, Matthew organized his Gospel like a new edition of the Law
of God or like a new “Pentateuch” with its five books. For this reason his
Gospel is composed of five great discourses or teachings of Jesus, followed by
narrative parts, in which he describes how Jesus put into practice what he had
taught in the discourses. The following is the outline:
Introduction: birth and preparation of the Messiah (Mt 1 to 4)
a) Sermon on the Mountain: the entrance door to the Kingdom (Mt 5 to 7)
Narrative Mt 8 and 9
b) Discourse of the Mission: how to announce and diffuse the Kingdom (Mt 10)
Narrative Mt 11 and 12
c) Discourse of the Parables: the mystery of the Kingdom present in life (Mt 13)
Narrative Mt 14 to 17
d) Discourse of the Community: the new way of living together in the Kingdom (Mt 18)
Narrative 19 to 23
e) Discourse of the future coming of the Kingdom: the utopia which sustains hope (Mt 24 and 25)
Conclusion: Passion, Death and Resurrection (Mt 26 to 28).
• In today’s Gospel we will meditate on the parable of the seed. Jesus had a way of speaking so popular by means of comparisons and parables. Generally, when he finished telling a parable, he did not explain it, but used to say: “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” (Mt 11,15; 13,9.43). Sometimes he would explain the meaning to the Disciples (Mt 13,36). The parables speak of the things of life; seed, lamp, mustard seed, salt, etc. These are things that exist in daily life, for the people of that time as well as today for us. Thus, the experience that we have today of these things becomes for us a means to discover the presence of the mystery of God in our life. To speak in parables means to reveal the mystery of the Kingdom present in life.
• Matthew 13,1-3: Sitting in the boat, Jesus taught the people. As it happened in the Sermon on the Mountain (Mt 5,1-2), here also Matthew makes a brief introduction to the discourse of the Parables, describing Jesus who teaches in the boat, on the shore, and many people around him who listen. Jesus was not a person who was instructed (Jn 7,15). He had not been to a higher school in Jerusalem. He came from inside the country, from Nazareth. He was unknown, a farmer and craftsman or artisan at the same time. Without asking permission from the religious authority, he began to teach the people. People liked to listen to him. Jesus taught especially by means of parables. We have already heard some of them: fishermen of men (Mt 4,19), the salt (Mt 5,13), the lamp (Mt 5,15), the birds of the sky and the lilies of the field (Mt 6,26.28), the house constructed on the rock (Mt 7,24). And now, in chapter 13, the parables begin to have a particular meaning: they serve to reveal the mystery of the Kingdom of God present in the midst of people and the activity of Jesus.
• Matthew 13,4-8: The parable of the seed taken from the life of the farmer. At that time, it was not easy to live from farming. The land was full of stones. There was little rain, too much sun. Besides, many times, people in order to shorten the way, passed through the fields and destroyed the plants (Mt 12,1). But in spite of all that, every year, the farmer would sow and plant, with trust in the force of the seed, in the generosity of nature. The parable of the sower describes that which we all know and do: the seed thrown by the agriculturer falls on the ground along the road, another part falls among the stones and thistles; still another part falls on good earth, where, according to the quality of the land, will produce thirty, sixty and even up to one hundred. A parable is a comparison. It uses things known by the people and which are visible, to explain that the Kingdom of God is an invisible and unknown thing. The people of Galilee understood about seeds, ground, rain, sun and harvest. And so now Jesus uses exactly these things that were known to people to explain the mystery of the Kingdom.
• Matthew 13,9: He, who has ears to hear, let him listen. The expression “He, who has ears, let him listen” means: “It is this! You have heard. Now try to understand!” The way to be able to understand the parable is to search: “To try to understand!” The parable does not give everything immediately, but pushes one to think and to make one discover starting from the experience which the auditors have of the seed. It opens to creativity and to participation. It is not a doctrine which comes ready to be taught. The parable does not give water in bottles, but the source. The agriculturer who listens to the parable says: “Seed in the round, I know what that means! But Jesus says that it has something to do with the Kingdom of God. What would that be?” And it is easy to imagine the long conversations of the people! The parable leads to listen to nature and to think of life. Once a person asked in a community: “Jesus says that we have to be salt. For what is salt good?” There was discussion and then at the end, ten different purposes that salt can have, were discovered. Then all this was applied to the life of the community and it was discovered that to be salt is difficult and demanding. The parable worked well!
Introduction: birth and preparation of the Messiah (Mt 1 to 4)
a) Sermon on the Mountain: the entrance door to the Kingdom (Mt 5 to 7)
Narrative Mt 8 and 9
b) Discourse of the Mission: how to announce and diffuse the Kingdom (Mt 10)
Narrative Mt 11 and 12
c) Discourse of the Parables: the mystery of the Kingdom present in life (Mt 13)
Narrative Mt 14 to 17
d) Discourse of the Community: the new way of living together in the Kingdom (Mt 18)
Narrative 19 to 23
e) Discourse of the future coming of the Kingdom: the utopia which sustains hope (Mt 24 and 25)
Conclusion: Passion, Death and Resurrection (Mt 26 to 28).
• In today’s Gospel we will meditate on the parable of the seed. Jesus had a way of speaking so popular by means of comparisons and parables. Generally, when he finished telling a parable, he did not explain it, but used to say: “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” (Mt 11,15; 13,9.43). Sometimes he would explain the meaning to the Disciples (Mt 13,36). The parables speak of the things of life; seed, lamp, mustard seed, salt, etc. These are things that exist in daily life, for the people of that time as well as today for us. Thus, the experience that we have today of these things becomes for us a means to discover the presence of the mystery of God in our life. To speak in parables means to reveal the mystery of the Kingdom present in life.
• Matthew 13,1-3: Sitting in the boat, Jesus taught the people. As it happened in the Sermon on the Mountain (Mt 5,1-2), here also Matthew makes a brief introduction to the discourse of the Parables, describing Jesus who teaches in the boat, on the shore, and many people around him who listen. Jesus was not a person who was instructed (Jn 7,15). He had not been to a higher school in Jerusalem. He came from inside the country, from Nazareth. He was unknown, a farmer and craftsman or artisan at the same time. Without asking permission from the religious authority, he began to teach the people. People liked to listen to him. Jesus taught especially by means of parables. We have already heard some of them: fishermen of men (Mt 4,19), the salt (Mt 5,13), the lamp (Mt 5,15), the birds of the sky and the lilies of the field (Mt 6,26.28), the house constructed on the rock (Mt 7,24). And now, in chapter 13, the parables begin to have a particular meaning: they serve to reveal the mystery of the Kingdom of God present in the midst of people and the activity of Jesus.
• Matthew 13,4-8: The parable of the seed taken from the life of the farmer. At that time, it was not easy to live from farming. The land was full of stones. There was little rain, too much sun. Besides, many times, people in order to shorten the way, passed through the fields and destroyed the plants (Mt 12,1). But in spite of all that, every year, the farmer would sow and plant, with trust in the force of the seed, in the generosity of nature. The parable of the sower describes that which we all know and do: the seed thrown by the agriculturer falls on the ground along the road, another part falls among the stones and thistles; still another part falls on good earth, where, according to the quality of the land, will produce thirty, sixty and even up to one hundred. A parable is a comparison. It uses things known by the people and which are visible, to explain that the Kingdom of God is an invisible and unknown thing. The people of Galilee understood about seeds, ground, rain, sun and harvest. And so now Jesus uses exactly these things that were known to people to explain the mystery of the Kingdom.
• Matthew 13,9: He, who has ears to hear, let him listen. The expression “He, who has ears, let him listen” means: “It is this! You have heard. Now try to understand!” The way to be able to understand the parable is to search: “To try to understand!” The parable does not give everything immediately, but pushes one to think and to make one discover starting from the experience which the auditors have of the seed. It opens to creativity and to participation. It is not a doctrine which comes ready to be taught. The parable does not give water in bottles, but the source. The agriculturer who listens to the parable says: “Seed in the round, I know what that means! But Jesus says that it has something to do with the Kingdom of God. What would that be?” And it is easy to imagine the long conversations of the people! The parable leads to listen to nature and to think of life. Once a person asked in a community: “Jesus says that we have to be salt. For what is salt good?” There was discussion and then at the end, ten different purposes that salt can have, were discovered. Then all this was applied to the life of the community and it was discovered that to be salt is difficult and demanding. The parable worked well!
4) Personal questions
• When you were a
child how was catechism taught to you? How do you compare some parts of life?
Do you remember some important comparison that the catechist told you? How is
the catechesis today in your community?
• Sometimes we are the road side, sometimes the rock; other times the thorns or thistles, and other times good earth. What am I? What are we in our community? Which are the fruits which the Word of God is producing in my life, in my family, and in our community: thirty, sixty, one hundred?
• Sometimes we are the road side, sometimes the rock; other times the thorns or thistles, and other times good earth. What am I? What are we in our community? Which are the fruits which the Word of God is producing in my life, in my family, and in our community: thirty, sixty, one hundred?
5) Concluding Prayer
Yahweh in his holy
temple!
Yahweh, his throne is in heaven;
his eyes watch over the world,
his gaze scrutinises the children of Adam. (Ps 11,4)
Yahweh, his throne is in heaven;
his eyes watch over the world,
his gaze scrutinises the children of Adam. (Ps 11,4)
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