Mk 4:26-34
Jesus also said, “In the kingdom of God it is like this: a man scatters seed upon the soil. Whether he is asleep or awake, be it day or night, the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. The soil produces of itself; first, the blade; then, the ear; then the full grain in the ear. And when it is ripe for harvesting, they take the sickle for the cutting: the time for the harvest has come.”
Jesus also said, “What is the kingdom of God like? To what shall we compare it? It is like a mustard seed which, when sown, is the smallest of all the seeds scattered upon the soil. 32 But once sown, it grows up and becomes the largest of the plants in the garden; and even grows branches so big, that the birds of the air can take shelter in its shade.”
Jesus used many such stories, in order to proclaim the word to them in a way that they would be able to understand. He would not teach them without parables; but privately, to his disciples, he explained everything.
REFLECTION
Today’s first reading presents us with one of the darkest pages of the entire Bible. There we witness the progress of evil in a human heart, that of David, a man blessed by God in so many ways, yet who lets sin take hold of his soul to the point when he has a good and faithful soldier, Uriah the Hittite, treacherously killed so that his own betrayal of Uriah’s marriage may remain a secret.
Now let us notice that the whole sordid episode begins with a lustful look: David’s ogling of a naked woman. Had David averted his eyes when he realized that he was seeing a beautiful woman bathing, nothing would have happened—no adultery, no deceitful attempt to cover his tracks, no murder. It is not for nothing that Jesus warned us: “Everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Mt 5:28). In itself, lust is certainly not the most serious of sins. But it tends to bring about a host of other sins far more harmful to the soul. Our modern culture positively encourages us to lust after half-naked beauty queens and pin-ups. Are we aware of how much we are manipulated by the mass media in this respect?
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