Third Wednesday in Ordinary Time
Wednesday, January 29, 2025
Third Week in Ordinary Time
Heb 10:11-18/Mk 4:1-20 (Lectionary #319)
Until Jesus said we are his “brothers and sisters and mother” he had not taught anything very mystical except to identify himself as the “bridegroom” for whom our hearts are longing. Now, however, it is almost as if he realizes that people are not getting the message. They are not able to get it, because the real Good News is simply beyond human comprehension. It is to make this point, perhaps, that Jesus changes his style of teaching. Now he begins to teach “in parables.”
Later, to those who “were around him and the Twelve,” Jesus explained why. Simplistically put, a parable is a literary form that says something without clearly spelling it out. Jesus uses parables so people can “look, but not see” and “listen, but not understand” unless they look with eyes of faith and listen with hearts intent on living out what they hear. Parables don’t hit people over the head with their meaning. This leaves some excuse to those who aren’t ready to “turn away from sin and be forgiven.”
The “Parable of the Sower” explains why, so often, the words of Jesus, God himself, have so little effect. The reason is that salvation is a two-way street. God does his part, but we have to do ours.
The first obstacle is cultural conditioning. Counter-cultural words falling on the “beaten path” are lost by “bounce” and “pounce.” Some just bounce off without penetrating. Others are pounced on with such ridicule by peer groups and media that unless we emancipate ourselves from society’s enslavement what Jesus says will never even register. Strike one.
Even if we listen with initial attraction, the seed will not penetrate to decision depth unless we reflect on what we hear. Words only take root in choices. Strike two is shallowness.
What finally strikes us out is our attachment to what may be immediately urgent or appealing but is ultimately meaningless: “anxieties over life’s demands, the desire for wealth, and cravings of other sorts.” We can’t expect to live by the divine life of God if our response to it has too many human strings attached. Strike three: idolatry.
Initiative: Ask what fruit God’s words are bearing in your life. Be specific. If you can’t identify anything significant, check out the three obstacles above.
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