Faith Daily | 27 January 2021
PRAYER of the WEEK Epiphany Three
Bountiful God,
through your Son you have called us to repent of our sin,
to believe the good news,
and to celebrate the coming of your kingdom:
teach us, like Christ’s first apostles,
to hear the call to discipleship,
and, forsaking old ways,
to proclaim the gospel of new life to a broken world;
through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen
GOSPEL for the Day: Mark 4:1-20
Again he began to teach beside the sea. Such a very large crowd gathered around him that he got into a boat on the sea and sat there, while the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land. 2He began to teach them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: 3“Listen! A sower went out to sow. 4And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and it sprang up quickly, since it had no depth of soil. 6And when the sun rose, it was scorched; and since it had no root, it withered away. 7Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. 8Other seed fell into good soil and brought forth grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.” 9And he said, “Let anyone with ears to hear listen!”
10When he was alone, those who were around him along with the twelve asked him about the parables. 11And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside, everything comes in parables; 12in order that they may indeed look, but not perceive, and may indeed listen, but not understand; so that they may not turn again and be forgiven.’”
13And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? Then how will you understand all the parables? 14The sower sows the word. 15These are the ones on the path where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. 16And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: when they hear the word, they immediately receive it with joy. 17But they have no root, and endure only for a while; then, when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. 18And others are those sown among the thorns: these are the ones who hear the word, 19but the cares of the world, and the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, and it yields nothing. 20And these are the ones sown on the good soil: they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.”
GOSPEL Reflection: Contributed by Anne MacRonald
In my younger life I found it difficult to understand the reasons behind Jesus speaking in parables. It all seemed too hard to sit down and try to decipher the meaning of his teachings. It often didn’t make sense. I now know I had no faith.
Jesus appeared to always have a hidden meaning in his sermons and wanted his listeners to think and learn by them Even his disciples didn’t always understand and questioned Jesus about the parables.
The extent of their understanding often depended on their faith. In our complex and troubled world nothing has changed . It still depends on faith.
The difference between my youth and now is that I believe the Word of God to be the truth. The challenges remain within our own lives and experiences .
May the seed be sown on fertile soil.
FINAL PRAYER: APBA p561
Bountiful God,
we thank you for planting in us the seed of your word:
by your Holy Spirit, help us to receive it with joy,
and to live according to it,
that we may grow in faith and hope and love;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen