GOSPEL

A sower went out to sow.
Reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark 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.”

The word of the Lord.

The umbrella, upside down.

It seems that God always sends us the graces we need. The question is, am I open enough to receive them? And this is the key. If I do not make progress, it is because I am closed off to receiving them or being perseverant in them. Effetá: Open up! I need to open myself to God’s will, to His grace. To receive His Word and be willing to let Him work in me, day after day, and another day, and another day, and another…

Applied to Married Life:

Arzanegui: What a rainy day. I’m soaked. I’m going to change and then come with you to pray together. Okay? I’m really looking forward to it!

Carlos: Okay, Arzanegui. I’ll be waiting for you eagerly.

(After a few minutes, Arzanegui comes out of the dressing room and finds Carlos lying on the bed with an open umbrella upside down)

Arzanegui: Carlos, what are you doing in bed with that umbrella open? Is there a leak?

Carlos: Nooo, don’t worry. I just want to love you more and for that I need to be filled with more of God’s grace. So I’ve put the umbrella upside down to receive all the rain of graces that will come with our prayer tonight.

Arzanegui: I don’t know if you will gather grace, but you will definitely find me, as I am melting for you. Haha

Carlos: Mmmm! Can I dunk bread in it? Haha

Mother,

May we always be willing to grow in love. Praise be to God, who gives us His grace to make it possible.