Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Mark 4, 1-20
On another occasion, Jesus began to teach by the sea.
A very large crowd gathered around him
so that he got into a boat on the sea and sat down.
And the whole crowd was beside the sea on land.
And he taught them at length in parables,
and in the course of his instruction he said to them,
“Hear this! A sower went out to sow.
And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path,
and the birds came and ate it up.
Other seed 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
and it produced no grain.
And some seed fell on rich soil and produced fruit.
It came up and grew and yielded thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.”
He added, “Whoever has ears to hear ought to hear.”
And when he was alone,
those present along with the Twelve
questioned him about the parables.
He answered them,
“The mystery of the Kingdom of God has been granted to you.
But to those outside everything comes in parables, so that
they may look and see but not perceive,
and hear and listen but not understand,
in order that they may not be converted and be forgiven.”
Jesus said to them, “Do you not understand this parable?
Then how will you understand any of the parables?
The sower sows the word.
These are the ones on the path where the word is sown.
As soon as they hear, Satan comes at once
and takes away the word sown in them.
And these are the ones sown on rocky ground who,
when they hear the word, receive it at once with joy.
But they have no roots; they last only for a time.
Then when tribulation or persecution comes because of the word,
they quickly fall away.
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.
But those sown on rich soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it
and bear fruit thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.”
At a distance
1. In a boat on the sea. Once again, we see the importance of maintaining some distance—knowing when to step back from the crowd. Being immersed in activity all the time can be overwhelming and cause you to lose sight of your true purpose. When you get caught up in so many things, you might become confused and forget what matters most: understanding why you are here and who you are here for. That’s why it’s vital to distance yourself from certain situations or people, so you can stay focused on what is truly important in your life.
2. Teaching. Our purpose is to help, not to complicate matters. Life has taught me that every experience, even the difficult ones, offers a lesson— “Omnia in bonum” (All things work together for good, or Everything is good)— because there is wisdom in every situation. Recently, I experienced a painful personal situation that left me feeling sad. While discussing it in confession, I told the priest I was angry, but I also realized I was learning from it. So, even what hurts can teach you something. If someone causes you pain once, it’s their fault; but if they hurt you in the same way again, it’s your responsibility, because you failed to learn from what happened and from who hurt you.
3. Sowing. In this life, we are called to create and sow seeds. It’s not up to us to decide where to prune or cut back—God takes care of that. Our role is to scatter seeds through our actions and the way we live. What you plant may benefit many people, even if others are the ones who enjoy the shade of the trees you’ve planted. So, keep planting seeds, because God accomplishes great things through what you do.
Don’t forget that something good is on the way!
God bless you and be with you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
