The Ironical Parable of the Sower Wed. 28 Jan. 2015 – Heb. 10:11-18, Ps. 110:1-4, Mark 4:1-20 It is easy to forget that Jesus’ proclamation of the coming of God’s kingdom was the great highlight of his message. The Jews of the time occasionally spoke of a reign of God, but what they envisaged was the liberty of God’s people in the land of Israel and the punishment of their oppressors. Jesus, instead, affirmed that the Kingdom is already here – at our door. This is what he tried to express in today’s Gospel of the Parable of the Sower. In it lies the great irony of the Gospel: Although the Kingdom of God is here, in reality, all we have is hope (Rom 9:24). After over 200 years of Christianity, the Kingdom still resembles a field that has just been sown. Some of the grain withers or bears useless fruit, while others bear fruit and multiply (Mk 4:8). Those who have inner eyes cannot fail to see the fruits of the Gospel. The Kingdom is manifest in the life of saints, known and unknown. The fact that contemporary Western culture largely denies the Gospel does not hide the fact that it was born from the Gospel’s dynamism. The Gospel is behind all that has been undertaken to give the world unity and peace. It is instrumental in the universal recognition of human dignity, as evident in international human rights instruments. Let us recall the words of Martin Luther King, the emancipator of Black Americans: “Despite the fact that all too often people see in the church a power opposed to any change, in fact, the church preserves a powerful ideal which urges people toward the summits and opens their eyes as to their own destiny. From the hot spots of Africa to the black areas of Alabama, I have seen men and wo¬men rising and shaking off their chains. They had just discovered they were God’s children, and that, as God’s child¬ren, it was impo¬s¬si¬ble to enslave them.” The Good News has helped men and women to fight oppression and corruption over the centuries. Recently, it seems to have experienced a lull. May it experience a revival through Christ our Lord, Amen!
Posted on: Tue, 27 Jan 2015 21:13:57 +0000
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