January 26, 2005

January 26, 2005 Mk 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."

I have just come back into the building from working

this morning in the vegetable garden. The word of God takes toil

to truly accept. Pulling weeds from the new garden, tilling soil, watering

tender plants, carrying new compost for the plants are all the

daily chores of carefully making the new growth continue to spread

and rise up from the ground. The earth is such a wonder to touch

and feel when gardening. To touch the earth and know the soil is important.

To know what type of soil that the seed is falling on is key to producing a plentiful harvest. We are from dust and we return to dust.

The earth is what we are of in this world and yet so

many times our lives are far from being in touch with the earth

and the harvest and what is growing around us.

I am thankful today for the time

I have had in touch with God and the earth in our monastery garden.