Daily Gospel Reflection
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January 29, 2020
On another occasion, Jesus began to teach beside the sea. Such a very large crowd gathered around him that he got into a boat on the sea and sat there, while the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land. He began to teach them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them:
“Listen! 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 did not have much soil, and it sprang up quickly, since it had no depth of soil. And when the sun rose, it was scorched; and since it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. Other seed fell into good soil and brought forth grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.”
And he said, “Let anyone with ears to hear listen!”
When he was alone, those who were around him along with the twelve asked him about the parables. And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside, everything comes in parables; in order that ‘they may indeed look, but not perceive, and may indeed listen, but not understand; so that they may not turn again and be forgiven.’”
And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? Then how will you understand all the parables? The sower sows the word. These are the ones on the path where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: when they hear the word, they immediately receive it with joy. But they have no root, and endure only for a while; then, when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. And others are those sown among the thorns: these are the ones who hear the word, but the cares of the world, and the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, and it yields nothing. And these are the ones sown on the good soil: they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.”
Reflection
Since early childhood, I’ve found my relationship with mathematics is defined by one word: disconnect. I can grasp individual concepts and basic equations easily enough, but when presented with the whole arithmetical picture, my eyes glaze over and all I see are unrelated numbers, letters, and symbols.
Our relationship with God can be similar, and I think Jesus is speaking to this when he declares, “Let anyone with ears to hear listen!” Much like my struggle to comprehend math, we can hear about God, and even hear God directly, but struggle to make sense of the message. In Jesus’ own time, the crowds, the religious factions, the elite, and even the disciples who surround him hear his words but often fail to connect with their meaning. Jesus, however, appears to expect this; after all, he teaches primarily in parables and even says that those who hear him, “may indeed listen, but not understand.”
But Jesus goes on to say that “nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light” (Mark 4:23). The mysteries of Jesus’ parables open themselves to us when we view them through his passion, death, and resurrection. In these actions, Jesus reveals himself to be the true subject of these stories; he is the sower, and his work on our behalf allows us to become fertile soil which can fully receive the seed of the word, the Good News of reconciliation with God.
Let us be attentive to the ways in which Jesus can reveal God to us. Through the Son, both fully God and fully human, we connect to, and even enter, the boundless mystery of our Triune Lord. So let us listen to his words, that the Word himself may take root in us and bear fruit, thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.
Prayer
Lord, your saving Word takes root in those who hear and accept it, those who do good and are upright. Help us to find your way of sincerity, patience, and truth. May we always be humble in seeking your way. Enable our faith to be filled with the blessing of charity in all things, that we might bear fruit a hundredfold. Amen.
Saint of the Day
Major relics of the early Christian martyr St. Severa rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica. Upon entering the chapel, visitors are immediately drawn to a wax figure of St. Severa, which rests above two lead boxes that contain her bones.
Severa was a child in a Christian family of martyrs who were killed in the early Christian persecutions. Her parents are Sts. Maximinus and Secunda, and her brothers are Sts. Mark (not the evangelist) and Calendine. Severa's entire family is commemorated all together on this feast day.
Maximinus, her father, commanded a thousand soldiers. When it was discovered that he was converting many of his soldiers to Christianity, he was condemned to work in the mines. When he continued to make converts even there, he was executed.
His wife, Secunda, and her children were arrested and brought to trial. Secunda died from the anxiety of the crisis itself, and Mark, Calendine, and Severa were scourged and martyred.
St. Severa, the child-martyr whose bones rest in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart—pray for us!