Wednesday of the Third
Week in Ordinary Time
(Hebrews 10:11-18; Mark 4:1-20)
Anyone familiar with the New Yorker magazine remembers a favorite cartoon that was used on
its cover. The drawing shows a man dressed
in a fashionable coat with a tall top hat.
He is examining a butterfly with his monocle as if he were seeing one
for the first time. The man seems
totally unfamiliar with nature. He would
probably not understand Jesus’ parable in today’s gospel. It would sound to him like a discussion in a
foreign language.
In the passage Jesus explains that the parables are not
intended for everyone. He implies rather
that they are meant for the poor in spirit who can appreciate the chore of
growing food. These people would
naturally pick up on his comparison of the word of God with seeds being
planted. They would realize that some hearers
of the word are never touched by it because of sinful inclinations in their
makeup. This is like the seed that is
sown in places where it cannot grow to produce fruit. They would also be aware that a harvest of a
hundredfold is tremendous. It is like the
person who has become a saint.
We should not be bothered if we have difficulty
understanding Jesus’ parable. Even his
disciples needed an explanation. But we
should try to profit from his explanation.
We need to be careful not to be led astray by new ideas that distort the
gospel message. Similarly, we should not
allow ourselves to be caught up in pleasures and vain pursuits of life. Also, we want to allow the word of God to take
root and grow by prayer and study. In
these ways we too will hopefully become saints.
