Learn from Jesus

Today’s Gospel Text: Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field." 37 He answered, "He who sows the good seed is the Son of man; 38 the field is the world, and the good seed means the sons of the kingdom; the weeds are the sons of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the close of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40 Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the close of the age. 41 The Son of man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, 42 and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash their teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear. Matt 13:36-43

Reflection: Life is a mystery and many things that we hear appear to be like parables, difficult to understand.

Human nature seeks to understand the many things of life and thus deep within we are satisfied after finding an answer to things, even though at times this knowledge could be false. 

Unfortunately, this nature to seek knowledge can even be based on wrong or unwanted desires or seeking unwanted knowledge. 

For example; why do we need to know the personal lives of people always and what they do?

Why do we need to know the hot gossips about celebrities and neighbors, especially those of our enemies?

Do we know our human situation, which by nature generally seeks every kind of useless knowledge of life and which will not benefit us for life?

Yet we do it again and again as if we have lost a sense of our direction and indeed we have! 

We may home correctly and could reach our house from any corner of the globe but when it comes to our eternal home or destination we are generally astray and confused.

Those confident do not know and do not realize what they are confident about; it is the like the confidence of a student who has studied well and knows for sure that success is his, even cent percent but has failed to realize that he has prepared himself to answer another subject.

Christ Jesus assures every individual who comes to him with sincerity of heart that he is the way , the truth and the life. (cfr. Jn. 14:6) He is our visible destination! 

Hence the dedicated disciples do right when they in their moment of confusion to understand the parable approach Jesus the right man: "Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field." (vs.36)

Prayer:  Lord, explain to us the parables of life; for you are the source of all wisdom and it is only you who can satisfy our desire to know the truth and lead us into eternal glory."

DD = Dedicated Discipleship:  Come grow in the Lord with us

Fortified City

Today’s Gospel Text: And he began to speak to them in parables. "A man planted a vineyard, and set a hedge around it, and dug a pit for the wine press, and built a tower, and let it out to tenants, and went into another country. 2 When the time came, he sent a servant to the tenants, to get from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. 3 And they took him and beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. 4 Again he sent to them another servant, and they wounded him in the head, and treated him shamefully. 5 And he sent another, and him they killed; and so with many others, some they beat and some they killed. 6 He had still one other, a beloved son; finally he sent him to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.' 7 But those tenants said to one another, 'This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.' 8 And they took him and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard. 9 What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants, and give the vineyard to others. 10 Have you not read this scripture: 'The very stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner;11 this was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?"

12 And they tried to arrest him, but feared the multitude, for they perceived that he had told the parable against them; so they left him and went away. Mark 12:1-12

Reflection: Parables speak and they can speak a thousand message but not all the thousand message could be sound and to be followed, except the discerned ones which does not contradict the doctrine of Christ.

One of the rare messages that this parable brings out is the working pattern of a God who cares for his people; how he builds buffer zones and protective walls, over a period of time, to protect his people.

The church and all that is contained in it by way of support is the fruit of God’s action.

Just like the vineyard planted by the man in the parable, likewise has God has planted the church as a concrete place, spread throughout the world. In the Old Testament that concrete place was the nation of Israel.

The concrete place is not just an external place but more so is a place in our hearts and the many souls together built in the Spirit of God. (cfr. Eph. 2: 22)

God digs a hedge around it in order to protect us from the evil one and hence the message is clear: we are in a battle situation.

Its major work will be to produce the wine that bring gladness, nourishment and life and that is exactly what the church is all about when it fulfills the mission of evangelization, beginning with the Eucharist. 

The church is made up of servants, who especially take care of the vines which the Lord has planted, the people brought to the Lord. 

Thus we see that the Church ever grows as in this parable to become a fortified city with the necessary weaponry of warfare in place.

The intercession of the saints, which is the church triumphant, the sacraments which fortifies and strengthens us against the vile of the evil one and is our spiritual food and nourishment are all strengths and hope of a help against the onslaughts of the evil one.

Prayer: We thank you Lord for the gift of the Church as a fortified fortress to guard us against the onslaught of the evil one.

DD = Dedicated Discipleship:  Come grow in the Lord with us

Turn over to the Lord

Today’s Gospel Text:  Again he began to teach beside the sea. And a very large crowd gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea; and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land. 2 And he taught them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: 3 "Listen! A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. 5 Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it had not much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil; 6 and when the sun rose it was scorched, and since it had no root it withered away. 7 Other seed fell among thorns and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. 8 And other seeds fell into good soil and brought forth grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold." 9 And he said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

10 And when he was alone, those who were about him with the twelve asked him concerning the parables. 11 And he said to them, "To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables; 12 so that they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand; lest they should turn again, and be forgiven." 13 And he said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? 14 The sower sows the word. 15 And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown; when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word which is sown in them. 16 And these in like manner are the ones sown upon rocky ground, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy; 17 and they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. 18 And others are the ones sown among thorns; they are those who hear the word, 19 but the cares of the world, and the delight in riches, and the desire for other things, enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 20 But those that were sown upon the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold." Mark 4:1-20

Reflection: If only people knew that the secrets that are revealed concerning the parables can continue to remain secrets despite the explanation.

That’s because we confuse between knowing and understanding. What we know now, through the explanation which Jesus gives is not the same as understanding them.

If by now you are already feeling confused, then it is an indication of the mental state in which we are which refuses to understand as it is to be understood; for what the mind prefers is that understanding which is knowing and hence not really understanding as it is to be understood. 

To understand is a painful process involving a dying of ourselves. 

Our power of understanding gets further developed in the light of the wisdom of God, in his presence, when Christ Jesus removes the scales of blindness.

Hence, when we learn theology and even become a master with a doctorate, what we actually gain is merely knowledge unless the scales are removed from our eyes by God’s mercy at work through all who believe in him and his love.

Hence asserting this truth, St. Paul writes thus: “Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their minds; but when a man turns to the Lord the veil is removed.” 2 Cor 3:15-16

Now a man who lacks understanding may say; “that is meant for the Jews and not to us.” 

Certainly true that this word is concerning the Jews but equally valid to us who behave either like them or even worse than them by not turning to the Lord; the only means to come out of our dullness of understanding. 

Prayer: Lord, help me to train my mind to turn to you, even when I study or learn the things of you and thus learn of you.

DD = Dedicated Discipleship:  Come grow in the Lord with us