27 January, 2023 | Friday of the Third Week of Ordinary Time

 

Gospel: Mk 4: 26-34

Jesus said to the crowds:

“This is how it is with the Kingdom of God;

it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land

and would sleep and rise night and day

and the seed would sprout and grow,

he knows not how.

Of its own accord the land yields fruit,

first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.

And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once,

for the harvest has come.”

He said,

“To what shall we compare the Kingdom of God,

or what parable can we use for it?

It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground,

is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth.

But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants

and puts forth large branches,

so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade.”

With many such parables

he spoke the word to them as they were able to understand it.

Without parables he did not speak to them,

but to his own disciples he explained everything in private.

Reflection: 

What is beautiful about the teachings of Jesus is that He is able to communicate the heights of Divine truths of the Kingdom, with the simple and everyday imagery which any ordinary listener could relate to. The two parables in today’s Gospel, offer great encouragement and meaning to a struggling Church of the time, living in small, scattered communities and surrounded by hostile elements ready to devour it. The situation in many parts of the world is no better today, and therefore we need to have trust and confidence in the power of God’s Kingdom and its unfathomable ways to survive, thrive and spread despite hostility or even persecutions. 

Action Plan: 

In your own little way, sow seeds of values of God's Kingdom; values of love, kindness, patience and peace to all who cross your path today.