Qua bài đọc Tin Mừng hôm nay, Chúa Giêsu muốn dạy chúng ta hãy nên tự xét mình, để xem coi chúng ta là loại "đất" nào khi chúng ta đón nhận lời Chúa. Nước Trời là hạt giống mang lại sự sống mà tất cả mọi người chúng ta mong muốn được đón nhận. Hạt giống thiêng liêng trong một số người chúng ta đã bị dẫm đạp đến chết nghẹt bởi những người khác, bởi vì sự vô tâm hay cố tình. Tuy nhiên vẫn có nhiều người trong chúng ta có một trái tim biết rộng mở và dễ tiếp nhận. Nên Hạt giống thiêng liêng của họ sẽ được đâm chồi, nẩy lộc và phát triển với sản lượng thật phong phú.
Làm thế nào chúng ta có thể làm cho tâm hồn của húng ta được trở nên màu mỡ hơn, để dễ hấp thụ và phát huy Lời Chúa trong cuộc sống của chúng ta? Đó là vấn đề chúng ta phải tự sắp xếp để thích hợp, Một khi chúng ta nhận ra được những sự phiền nhiễu hay sự cám dỗ vật chất, hay ham muốn những ảo ảnh của quyền lực, của niềm tự hào, ích kỷ riêng trong mỗi người chúng ta, hy vọng chúng ta có thể nhận thức được những nết xấu đó mà cố gắng thay đổi để trở nên tốt hơn. Khi chúng ta biết chuẩn bị chính bản thân của chúng ta trong sự khiêm nhường, chúng ta sẽ cởi mở hơn và dễ chấp nhận những điều gì mà Thiên Chúa đã định sẵn hay an bài trưóc cho chúng ta. Chúng ta là thữa đất phì nhiêu, màu mỡ bởi vì chúng ta biết đón nhận tình yêu của Thiên Chúa và nhờ thế Tình Yêu của Thiên Chúa đã sinh ra và nẩy nở trong chúng ta. Và qua chúng ta, tình yêu của Thiên Chúa sẽ được sinh sôi và phát triển ở những người khác nữa.\
My Wednesday 3rd in Ordinary Time - Gospel text (Mc 4,1-20):
In today’s Gospel message, helps us to examine what kind of "soil" we are. Some of the seeds will fall into rich trenches in the ploughed fields, take root, grow and produce a hundred times its own weight in harvest?.
That's what the Kingdom of heaven is like. It's a life-giving seed that everyone desires and receives it. The sacred seed in some people is crushed to death by others. But many people have an open and receptive heart. Their sacred seed will grow and produce abundant fruit.
How can we make our hearts more fertile to accepting God's word in our lives? It's all a matter of proper disposition. Once we recognize the distractions of material things, of the illusion of power, of our own selfish pride, hopefully we become more teachable. When we prepare ourselves in humility, we become open to whatever God has in store for us. We are fertile because we accept God's love to be brought forth in us and through us that love will grow in others. Take time, in prayer, to remember our sacred seed. Where do we feel there has been stony ground, rocks, or thorniness in your life? Where are the rich fruitful trenches? Does the word of God have a fighting chance to take root in our life? Pray to our loving God who sows his seed so generously.
Wednesday 3rd in Ordinary Time 2024
“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.” Mark 4:20
This description from the Parable of the Sower seems to describe a growing number of people in our world today. The first grouping of people mentioned in this parable have little to no faith and are represented by the seed sown on the path which is quickly consumed by satan. The second group of people have a little initial faith and are represented by seed sown on rocky ground. The passage above represents the third grouping of people who are like seeds sown in good soil but are also among thorns. The fourth are those who are like rich soil and the Word of God grows deeply in their lives. Let’s consider the third grouping of people in more detail.
There are three evils that choke off the Word of God in our lives: “worldly anxiety, the lure of riches, and the craving for other things.” In our day and age, there are many who encounter various types of anxieties, are consumed with a desire for material wealth and find themselves craving many other things. In all three cases, these interior temptations have the effect of overwhelming the pure Truth of the Word of God in their lives.
Anxiety is a common problem today. And though this is a psychological struggle much of the time, it also can have spiritual roots. Anxiety is the struggle of worrying excessively, nervousness about many aspects of life and an uneasiness about the future. In this case, when the Person of Jesus and the Truth of the Gospel message does not consume and direct our lives, we are left on our own to “figure it out.” And this loneliness will almost always lead us into a loss of hope, fear and lack of deep peace.
Most people who struggle with anxiety will constantly look for a cure. And one place they often look is the deceptive consolation of material wealth or the “craving for other things.” Imagine if you won a tremendous amount of money. Would this resolve your worries in life? Though you may be tempted to think it would, deep down we all know that this is a lie. Material wealth is never a reliable source of satisfaction in life. The same is true with almost everything else we “crave” in life. One thing and one thing alone can satisfy. And that one thing is God.
Reflect, today, upon those things in your life that seem to occupy your mental energy. What do you worry about, hope for, deeply desire? What do you falsely believe will relieve your interior struggles? What do you crave? Take time today to remind yourself of the irrefutable truth that God, His holy will and all that He has revealed as True is the only source of satisfaction. Seek to let that Truth sink in deeply in your heart so that the Truths of God will grow and bear the abundant good fruit you so deeply desire.
My merciful Lord, help me to be open fully to Your holy Word so that the seed of Your Word will be planted deeply in my heart. May I always reject the many lies and deceptions of the world so that I can be freed of the anxieties and fleeting pleasures of life. May I seek only the deep and sustaining delights that come from a life fully given over to You so that I will live in the peace and grace of Your holy will. Jesus, I trust in You.
Opening Prayer: Lord, through your covenants, you bring humanity into your divine family. That was your plan from the beginning of time. Help me to be faithful in the New Covenant established by your Son so that I can enjoy eternal life with you.
Encountering the Word of God
1. The Covenant with David: The Lord is never outdone in generosity. When David manifests to Nathan his intention to do something for the Ark of the Lord, Nathan encourages him to do what is in his heart. But the Word of God comes to Nathan that night and says that David will not be the one to build him a house. At the same time, God is pleased with the intention of David’s heart and in response makes a covenant with David. Before making the covenant oath, the Lord first recalls what he has done for David and the people. He brought them out of Egypt, gave them judges to govern them, and called David to be the ruler over his people. He reminds David that he protected him, destroyed his enemies, and made David’s name great. The Lord recalls how he has given David and the people of Israel rest from their enemies. The Lord promises to make a house – a royal dynasty – for David. David’s son will build a house for the Lord and the Lord will establish his royal throne forever. David’s son will be a son to the Lord.
2. The fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant: The promises made to David are initially brought to fulfillment under his son King Solomon but ultimately await their fulfillment with Jesus. Solomon built the Temple made of stone and by human hands, but the risen Jesus is the true Temple of God (John 2:21) who establishes the Church as the Temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16) and the beginning of the Kingdom of God.
3. Parables of the Kingdom: The Kingdom that Jesus has been announcing since the beginning of his public ministry and now expounds in parables is the fulfillment of the covenant promise made to David. The Kingdom Jesus establishes will last forever. Although David’s royal line never failed, his kingdom was subject to division, invasion, exile, and occupation. After Solomon, the ten northern tribes of Israel broke away from the southern kingdom of Judah. The northern kingdom was invaded and exiled by the Assyrians in 722 B.C. and the southern kingdom was invaded and exiled by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. Judah was subject to the Persians, the Greeks, and the Romans. Despite this, the prophets promised that the Kingdom of David would be restored and that all twelve tribes would be gathered from the nations. When Jesus proclaims the mystery of the Kingdom, he is proclaiming the fulfillment of these prophecies and the restoration of Israel.
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you proclaimed the coming of the Kingdom of God in your words and actions. He entrusted the Kingdom to your Apostles at the Last Supper. I am part of your royal family. Guide me today as I work to build and extend your Kingdom in the world.
Resolution: By our baptism, we have become members of the Kingdom of God. And Jesus has taught us, in the Beatitudes, the characteristics we ought to have as royal subjects of this Kingdom. These include being meek and humble of heart, practicing justice and mercy, being pure of heart, suffering persecution, and promoting peace. Which of the eight beatitudes do I need to practice today?
Wednesday 3rd in Ordinary Time
Opening Prayer: Lord, help me to pray with an open heart so that the seed you sow in me doesn’t die, but bears abundant fruit.
Encountering Christ:
1. I Wasn’t Talking to You: It sounded like Jesus didn’t want people to understand his preaching. Instead of speaking clearly, he spoke in parables that he later had to explain to his disciples. Once he explained it, they understood, but why didn’t he speak that way to the crowds who came to listen? Did he only want to help a few select people instead of everyone? That can’t be the correct interpretation of this passage.
2. The Crowd Is the Field Jesus Is Sowing In: To explain himself, Jesus quoted the prophet Isaiah. Isaiah was speaking to people who had hardened their hearts against the prophetic word he was sent to speak to them. Because their hearts were hardened, they would not have accepted and understood the Lord’s word even if he had presented it clearly. Yet, there were a few who listened with open hearts, and God’s word found good soil in their hearts that day. Jesus wasn’t saying he didn’t want anyone to understand. He was saying that even if he spoke clearly, many wouldn’t understand—because they didn’t want to. Yet the word he speaks to open hearts bears fruit, just as the parable says. The seed he is sowing is reaching everyone, but not every heart provides the good soil needed to bear fruit.
3. Waiting: A lot of the spiritual life, like farming, is about waiting. Even when a seed falls into good soil, it doesn’t bear fruit immediately. It lays dormant in the soil for a while, then begins to grow when conditions are right. The Apostles and those in the crowd who had open hearts began “growing” in understanding and finally bore abundant fruit when the right conditions were available. The descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost provided the right conditions. Like the Apostles, we too need the Holy Spirit to fully understand what Jesus taught.
Conversing with Christ: Lord, I know that it’s only possible to speak of God in images—to tell us what your Father is like, not how he actually is, because he is beyond our understanding. Help me to understand your parables so I can get a glimmer of you and your Father—of your goodness, your kindness, and your love for me, so I may be converted and be forgiven.
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will be open to your word to me and to the Holy Spirit’s help in understanding it and using it to bear fruit—thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.
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