Friday, January 26, 2018
3rd Week in Ordinary Time
1st Reading: 2 Tim 1:1-8Gospel: Mk 4:26–34
Jesus also said, “In the kingdom of God it is like this. A man scatters seed upon the soil. Whether he is asleep or awake, be it day or night, the seed sprouts and grows, he knows not how. The soil produces of itself; first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. And when it is ripe for harvesting they take the sickle for the cutting: the time for harvest has come.”
Jesus also said, “What is the kingdom of God like? To what shall we compare it? It is like a mustard seed which, when sown, is the smallest of all the seeds scattered upon the soil. But once sown, it grows up and becomes the largest of the plants in the garden and even grows branches so big that the birds of the air can take shelter in its shade.”
Jesus used many such stories or parables, to proclaim the word to them in a way they would be able to understand. He would not teach them without parables; but privately to his disciples he explained everything.
D@iGITAL-EXPERIENCE
(Daily Gospel in the
Assimilated Life Experience)
A parable is a simple story told to illustrate a spiritual reality. It differs from fables. A fable uses animals, plants, inanimate beings, and even the forces of nature as characters. Parables use human characters instead. Jesus used parables instead of fables since fables are more associated with fantasy.
In using parables to explain the kingdom of God, Jesus achieved two things. First he made spiritual concepts easier to understand. Second, he gave his listeners the impression that these spiritual realities are as real as the fields we till, the seeds we plant and the flour we knead.
In today’s Gospel Jesus used the parable of the seed in preaching to farmers who knew the process of growth that a seed undergoes. They knew that a seed must first be buried. To them the moral lesson was clear: building the kingdom of God could cost them their lives. Once the seed sprouts, it stands at the mercy of the elements of nature. The message was even clearer: the growth of God’s kingdom requires multi-faceted sacrifices.
If we want God to reign, we wouldn’t mind having to suffer. After all, nothing worthwhile comes easy. A joke is told of an applicant who was asked during the interview what she could contribute to the company. Groping for an answer she replied, “Unsa ba ni uy, duna diay amotan sir?” (“I wasn’t told there is a contribution to be made as interview fee”). Never expect a free ride; there is no such thing as free lunch. If we want God’s kingdom established on earth, we must be willing to suffer, and even offer our lives if it comes to this extent. – (Atty.) Rev. Fr. Dan Domingo P. delos Angeles, Jr., D.M.
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