SINGING TO THE GOSPEL R. Hallelujah, hallelujah. The seed is the word of God, the sower is Christ: Whoever finds him has eternal life. R. Hallelujah.
GOSPEL It is the smallest of all the seeds, but it becomes bigger than all the plants of the garden. + From the Gospel according to Mark 4,26-34 At that time, Jesus said to the crowd: "Thus is the kingdom of God: like a man who sows a seed on the ground; sleeps or watches over, by night or by day, the seed germinates and grows. How, he himself does not know. The soil spontaneously produces first the stem, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear; and when the fruit is ripe, he immediately sends the scythe, because the harvest has arrived". He said: "To what can we compare the kingdom of God or with what parable can we describe it? It is like a mustard seed that, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds that are on the ground, but, when sown, grows and becomes larger than all the plants in the garden and makes branches so large that the birds of the sky can make a nest in its shadow. With many parables of the same kind, he announced the Word to them, as they could understand. Without parables he did not speak to them but, in private, he explained everything to his disciples. Word of the Lord.
FAUSTI - "And sleep or watch, and by night and by day, the seed germinates and grows" It is not the action of man that produces the Kingdom, but the very power of God, hidden in the seed. So many of our anxieties for good are not only useless, but harmful. Just as evil has in itself its own death and kills itself, so good has in itself its own life and grows by itself, in an unstoppable way. In these words Jesus highlights the contrast between our inactivity and the action of God. But it is only apparent, because He acts precisely where we know we cannot and we await peace of mind with confidence. Evangelical effectiveness is the opposite of worldly efficiency. They say to Jesus that we must get busy before it is too late. It is time to act with urgency and determination - like the zealots - so that the fruit of His labours is not lost. But he replies that, to pull the grass, it does not grow. Only it tears. Life has its own rhythm, which you cannot hasten with impunity. Once sown, the seed grows by itself, with the calm of a river that goes to the sea. The Kingdom of God is God's. Our salvation lies in turning to God; our strength in trusting abandonment in Him (Is 30.5). Whoever saves us is He, the one Lord of all and of all. The believer knows this and is calm. The ungodly one, on the other hand, is like a "troubled sea that cannot calm down and whose waters will carry on slime and mud" (Is 57, 20). All our anxieties for good come not from God, but from the enemy. They are a sign of distrust and a cause of perdition. A farmer sat at the edge of a vast, clean field, without a blade of grass. He sent the children who wanted to play ball elsewhere, diverted a traveler who was trampling on him to go straight to his destination, sent away a priest who asked him to build the parish works. In that field there was nothing, but the farmer already contemplated him blondeggiante masses. He was not an illusion. Appearances gave reason to the inexperienced, but reality to him, who had sown and knew that the seed does not disappoint. Those who do not have the wise patience of the peasant destroy with two hands what they do with one. Jesus sowed the Word, and He Himself is the seed of God sown in the field of history. It is not a further activity that makes him grow. He only needs His passivity: a bare and clean land that welcomes, a trusting patience that awaits. The story of Jesus in His Flesh shows us how God acts, and gives us the criterion of discernment to read, evaluate and choose according to His Spirit. For this reason, in contradictions we have hope, in hiding trust, in inefficiency, strength, in smallness, courage. Jesus does not aim for success and does not give discounts to the masses: He wants authentic people who have the same characteristics as the seed that is He Himself. A small candle illuminates more than a thousand nights; and with its flame everyone can light. Jesus is the greatness of God who became small for us, even to the point of death and death on a cross. In this way it becomes the great tree, where everyone and everyone can find a welcome.
SINGING TO THE GOSPEL
RispondiEliminaR. Hallelujah, hallelujah.
The seed is the word of God, the sower is Christ:
Whoever finds him has eternal life.
R. Hallelujah.
GOSPEL
It is the smallest of all the seeds, but it becomes bigger than all the plants of the garden.
+ From the Gospel according to Mark 4,26-34
At that time, Jesus said to the crowd: "Thus is the kingdom of God: like a man who sows a seed on the ground; sleeps or watches over, by night or by day, the seed germinates and grows. How, he himself does not know. The soil spontaneously produces first the stem, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear; and when the fruit is ripe, he immediately sends the scythe, because the harvest has arrived". He said: "To what can we compare the kingdom of God or with what parable can we describe it? It is like a mustard seed that, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds that are on the ground, but, when sown, grows and becomes larger than all the plants in the garden and makes branches so large that the birds of the sky can make a nest in its shadow. With many parables of the same kind, he announced the Word to them, as they could understand. Without parables he did not speak to them but, in private, he explained everything to his disciples.
Word of the Lord.
FAUSTI - "And sleep or watch, and by night and by day, the seed germinates and grows" It is not the action of man that produces the Kingdom, but the very power of God, hidden in the seed. So many of our anxieties for good are not only useless, but harmful. Just as evil has in itself its own death and kills itself, so good has in itself its own life and grows by itself, in an unstoppable way.
RispondiEliminaIn these words Jesus highlights the contrast between our inactivity and the action of God. But it is only apparent, because He acts precisely where we know we cannot and we await peace of mind with confidence. Evangelical effectiveness is the opposite of worldly efficiency.
They say to Jesus that we must get busy before it is too late. It is time to act with urgency and determination - like the zealots - so that the fruit of His labours is not lost.
But he replies that, to pull the grass, it does not grow. Only it tears. Life has its own rhythm, which you cannot hasten with impunity. Once sown, the seed grows by itself, with the calm of a river that goes to the sea. The Kingdom of God is God's.
Our salvation lies in turning to God; our strength in trusting abandonment
in Him (Is 30.5). Whoever saves us is He, the one Lord of all and of all.
The believer knows this and is calm. The ungodly one, on the other hand, is like a "troubled sea that cannot calm down and whose waters will carry on slime and mud" (Is 57, 20).
All our anxieties for good come not from God, but from the enemy. They are a sign of distrust and a cause of perdition.
A farmer sat at the edge of a vast, clean field, without a blade of grass. He sent the children who wanted to play ball elsewhere, diverted a traveler who was trampling on him to go straight to his destination, sent away a priest who asked him to build the parish works. In that field there was nothing, but the farmer already contemplated him blondeggiante masses. He was not an illusion. Appearances gave reason to the inexperienced, but reality to him, who had sown and knew that the seed does not disappoint. Those who do not have the wise patience of the peasant destroy with two hands what they do with one.
Jesus sowed the Word, and He Himself is the seed of God sown in the field of history.
It is not a further activity that makes him grow. He only needs His passivity: a bare and clean land that welcomes, a trusting patience that awaits.
The story of Jesus in His Flesh shows us how God acts, and gives us the criterion of discernment to read, evaluate and choose according to His Spirit.
For this reason, in contradictions we have hope, in hiding trust, in inefficiency, strength, in smallness, courage.
Jesus does not aim for success and does not give discounts to the masses: He wants authentic people who have the same characteristics as the seed that is He Himself.
A small candle illuminates more than a thousand nights; and with its flame everyone can light.
Jesus is the greatness of God who became small for us, even to the point of death and death on a cross.
In this way it becomes the great tree, where everyone and everyone can find a welcome.