Saint Angela Merici, Virgin
January 27th, 2010
Mark 4 : 1 - 20
Today, the liturgy of the Word invites us to reflect more deeply on the wisdom and beauty of the parables. During his hidden life, Jesus spent hours of prayer to the Father for wisdom to communicate the mystery of the Kingdom that lies beyond these parables. The parable of the sower and the different kinds of soil invites one to a self examination about “what kind of soil do I present to the seeds of the Kingdom?” Some of the soil, which received the seed, looked good on the surface, but there were stones immediately underneath.
We make resolutions and begin well, but once the cost of commitment is called for, our enthusiasm, unfortunately, begins to wane. Let us reflect on the parable of the sower and let us ask the Holy Spirit to teach us what significance it has for us today.
Prayer
Prayer : Dear Lord, I thank you for the beauty and wisdom of your teaching. "Speak Lord, your servant is listening:you have the message of eternal life."
The prayer for each day has been prepared by various members of the Holy Family Association. All who visit our website are remembered in prayer. If you would like us to pray for a particular need, simply complete and submit the form on the right hand side of this page. You may wish to leave a comment in the space below.
Just a Thought
Hope
John XXIII, referred to as the ‘caretaker Pope’, realising the widening gap between the Church and the world of his day, wrote: “An old world is disappearing. Another one is being formed, and with this I am trying to conceal some good seed or other that will have its springtime, even if it is somewhat delayed, and comes after I’m dead.”
Thomas Merton writes: “One must not give in to defeatism and despair: just as one must hope for life in a mortal illness which has been declared incurable.”
Even when dark clouds surround us, even when everything appears to be falling apart, we must continue to believe for a better future. Whatever the problem, there is a way forward.
So, my hope is in God alone because I believe in him; this is my faith. It is in him I put my faith and that faith, my belief in God’s love for me and all his creation, is the bedrock in which like an anchor, I put my hope. Together with that hope and faith is my love and fidelity in responding to that God in whom I live and move and have my being. In him I place my hope.
“Hold fast to the hope that lies before us. This we have as an anchor of the soul” (Heb 6:15-19).
