June 14, 2015
Sunday
11th Sunday
in Ordinary Time
1st Reading: Ezk 17:22-24
2nd Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:6-10
Gospel: Mark 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)
Stories are always attractive to people of all ages. Because of this, resourceful preachers use stories to convey messages that bite. Jesus too found stories very useful for preaching. Knowing how people love stories and aware that among those who listened to him were hard hearted people, he used stories called parables to convey his message. In parables Jesus found a powerful tool to barge into the hearts of stubborn listeners. Before these people knew it, Jesus’ message already penetrated their hearts.
To simplify the concept of the kingdom of God Jesus used the parable of the seed. He said, “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.” Jesus’ message about the kingdom by way of the story of the seed came alive to the hearing of the Jews who were farmers. They understood that like the seed committed to the ground that grows irrespective of human intervention, the kingdom had to grow independent of human will and human intervention.
Today the world is getting complicated but stories are still potent tools to convey spiritual truths and heavenly realities. The best story we can use is our own life story unfolding God’s mighty works in our lives. Let us not just tell our life story once, but retell it in words and deeds until it becomes the story of others praising God in genuine songs of praise. — Rev. Fr. Dan Domingo P. delos Angeles, Jr., DM. Email: [email protected]. Website: www.frdan.org.
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