GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the 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 tha 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 Mathematics of Love

God is a tireless sower. Each day He comes out to meet us. He gives Himself to us; He wants to pour out His grace upon us because He desires to sanctify us, to divinise us. How good God is. We are never lacking seed. We are never lacking grace. What is sometimes missing is soil that is ready, because the sower is always generous, but the ground is not always prepared. The question is simple: what kind of soil am I?

Let us not allow the evil one to distract or deceive us; to prepare fertile soil, a life of prayer is essential. The soul is made to receive God, and we do not receive Him by doing many things for Him, even if they are very good things — we receive Him in prayer. It is in prayer that we grow in intimacy with the Lord, and in that intimacy we are filled with His love and with all the graces He longs to pour out upon us.

The fruit: the transformation of an entire life and union with Him.

 

Applied to married life

Albert: Esther, I’ve realised that as soon as we neglect prayer, the atmosphere at home starts to get tense. Have you noticed?

Esther: I’ve been observing it for a while, and I’d dare to say it’s mathematical. When we don’t pray, or pray very little, we end up arguing straight away — the reproaches come out, the little grudges, we judge each other… and I’ve been asking the Lord for some time to show me what mysterious link there is between one thing and the other.

Albert: And?

Esther: Well, He’s shown me. Jesus Himself says in John 5:42 that the love of God is not in us. And I think that’s the key: either we have God’s Love or we have our own. And we already know what ours is like — limited, and selfishness appears straight away.

Albert: I see… so to fill ourselves with God’s Love, we need to go to prayer. The more prayer, the more love between us, and when there’s no prayer… things don’t go well.

Esther: Exactly — love is directly proportional, because with that love we receive, you and I love each other. What do you think?

Albert: You’re brilliant at the mathematics of love

 

Mother,

We pass on the love we receive, and we receive the Love of God in the intimacy of prayer. You know that without prayer we can do nothing, which is why you call us again and again to a life of prayer. Blessed and praised are you. Praised be the Lord who pours out His grace.