＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊

Hebrews 10:11-18

 

Ps 110:1, 2, 3, 4

You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.

 

St. Angela Merici, virgin 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊

Mark 4:1-20

 Again Jesus began to teach by the lake,

But such a large crowd gathered about him that he got into a boat and sat in it on the lake while the crowd stood on the shore. He taught them many things through stories or parables. In his teaching he said,

 “Listen! The sower went out to sow. As he sowed, some of the seed fell along a path and the birds came and ate it up. Some of the seed fell on rocky ground where it had little soil; it sprang up im­mediately because it had no depth; but when the sun rose and burned it, it withered because it had no roots. 

Other seed fell among thornbushes and the thorns grew and choked it, so it didn’t produce any grain. But some seed fell on good soil, grew and in­creased and yielded grain; some produced thirty times as much, others sixty and others one hun­dred times as much.” And Jesus added, “Listen then, if you have ears.”

 When the crowd went away, some who were around him with the Twelve asked about the parables.  He answered them, “The mystery of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But for those outside, everything comes in parables, so that the more they see, they don’t perceive; the more they hear, they don’t understand; otherwise they would be converted and pardoned.”

 Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any of the parables?  What the sower is sowing is the word. Those along the path where the seed fell are people who hear the word, but as soon as they do, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.

 Other people receive the word like rocky ground. As soon as they hear the word, they accept it with joy, but they have no roots so it lasts only a little while. No sooner does trouble or persecution come be­cause of the word, than they fall.

 Others receive the seed as among thorns. After they hear the word, they are caught up in the worries of this life, false hopes of riches and other desires. All these come in and choke the word so that finally it produces nothing.

 And there are others who receive the word as good soil. They hear the word, take it to heart and produce: some thirty, some sixty and some one hun­dred times as much.”

 

Gospel Reflection：

Jesus teaches the crowd that the Word of God is effective, but  it needs a good heart for it to grow and flourish and bear much fruit. It is no wonder why in a community, all receive the same word of God but the result varies from person to person.

It is not a matter of receiving or having the word. The heart must be disposed to receive and keep it. We have the Blessed Virgin as our model on how to behave in front of God’s word. She kept it in her heart and pondered on it. That is why her heart is pure. It is a vessel of God’s words.