Tuesday, January 28, 2014

 

Wednesday 3rd Week in Ordinary Time

January 29, 2014 

Wednesday 3rd Week in Ordinary Time

2 Sm 7:4-14/ Ps 89:4-5, 27-28, 29-30 / Mk 4:1- 20

 

Reading: 2 Sm 7:4-14

But that very night, Yahweh's word came to Nathan, "Go and tell my servant David, this is what Yahweh says: Are you able to build a house for me to live in? I have not dwelt in a house since I brought the Israelites up from Egypt to the present day, but I went about with a tent for shelter. As long as I walked with the Israelites, did I say anything to the chiefs of Israel whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel? Did I say: Why have you not built me a house of cedar? Now you will tell my servant David, this is what Yahweh of hosts says: I took you from the pasture, from tending the sheep, to make you commander of my people Israel. I have been with you wherever you went, cutting down all your enemies before you. Now I will make your name great as the name of the great ones on earth. I will provide a place for my people Israel and plant them that they may live there in peace. They shall no longer be harassed, nor shall wicked men oppress them as be-fore. From the time when I appointed judges over my people Israel it is only to you that I have given rest from all your enemies. Yahweh also tells you that he will build you a house. When the time comes for you to rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your son after you, the one born of you and I will make his reign secure. He shall build a house for my name and I will firmly establish his kingship forever. I will be a father to him and he shall be my son. If he does wrong, I will punish him with the rod, as men do. 

           

Gospel: Mk 4:1-20

Again Jesus began to teach by the lake, but such a large crowd gathered about him that he got into a boat and sat in it on the lake while the crowd stood on the shore. He taught them many things through stories or parables. In his teaching he said, "Listen! The sower went out to sow. As he sowed, some of the seeds fell along a path and the birds came and ate it up. Some of the seeds fell on rocky ground where it had little soil; it sprang up immediately because it had no depth; but when the sun rose and burned it, it withered because it had no roots. Other seeds fell among thorn bushes and the thorns grew and choked it, so it didn't produce any grain. But some seeds fell on good soil, grew and increased and yielded grain; some produced thirty times as much, others sixty and others one hundred times as much." And Jesus added, "Listen then, if you have ears." When the crowd went away, some who were around him with the Twelve asked about the parables. He answered them, "The mystery of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But for those outside, everything comes in parables, so that the more they see, they don't perceive; the more they hear, they don't understand; otherwise they would be converted and pardoned." Jesus said to them, "Don't you understand this parable? How then will you understand any of the parables? What the sower is sowing is the word. Those along the path where the seed fell are people who hear the word, but as soon as they do, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. Other people receive the word like rocky ground. As soon as they hear the word, they accept it with joy, but they have no roots so it lasts only a little while. No sooner does trouble or persecution come because of the word, than they fall. Others receive the seed as among thorns. After they hear the word, they are caught up in the worries of this life, false hopes of riches and other desires. All these come in and choke the word so that finally it produces nothing. And there are others who receive the word as good soil. They hear the word, take it to heart and produce: some thirty, some sixty and some one hundred times as much."

 

Reflection:

This parable is quite self-explanatory.  Which makes it a problem for us is that we tend to take it for granted more often than not. The only problem we have is applying it to ourselves.  We can think of the many people which the parable describes as those who have worries of the world, of those who are lured by riches, of those whose passions come in to choke the word of God. This may actually be OUR situation. The word of God is what gives faith to a person.  And that faith gives fruit to eternal life.  We often equate many things falsely to eternal life. Economic progress is not eternal life. Human achievements and success are not eternal life. Material wealth, all the more, is not eternal life.  Eternal life is our first priority, but if we examine our lives, it is actually the last priority after the needs of our flesh, of our family, of our jobs, of our homes. The word of God is choked by the passions of the world., taken away by the birds and doesn't find  any roots. All these distractions produce NOTHING. And nothing is nothing.  We may end up at the end of our lives realizing that all that we have worked for is really for nothing.   

 

Let us strive to be the good seed that yields a strong harvest of 30, 60 or a hundred fold!   

 

Prayer Requests

We pray ...

... for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the unborn. 

... for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.

... for families who are in need of healing

     * Joy Droke

... for world peace and reconciliation

... for the special intentions of JPS

... for the repose of Francisca Sy Dy

 

Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our prayers and for those who need our prayers the most. 

 

Have a good day!

 

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