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. . . sabbath isn't an option to be exercised once we've finished our work and finally carved out a little time to rest. It liberates us from the need to be finished by requiring us to stop periodically whether we're ready or not. Indeed, given the context in which the third commandment is proclaimed (or fourth, depending on Catholic or Protestant usage), forgetting the sabbath is morally and socially
dangerous. The failure to withdraw and center oneself breeds a restless discontent that makes all the subsequent commandments necessary.
- Belden Lane, Holy Silence
(You don't have to wait until Sunday for sabbath rest. Take small breaks today -- mini sabbaths -- today to pause and "let your soul catch up.")
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2 Tm 1:1-8; Psalm 96:1-2a, 2b-3, 7-8a, 10
Mk 4:1-20
On another occasion, Jesus began to teach by the sea.
A very large crowd gathered around him
so that he got into a boat on the sea and sat down.
And the whole crowd was beside the sea on land.
And he taught them at length in parables,
and in the course of his instruction he said to them,
“Hear this! A sower went out to sow.
And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path,
and the birds came and ate it up.
Other seed fell on rocky ground where it had little soil.
It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep.
And when the sun rose, it was scorched and it withered for lack of roots.
Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it
and it produced no grain.
And some seed fell on rich soil and produced fruit.
It came up and grew and yielded thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.”
He added, “Whoever has ears to hear ought to hear.”
And when he was alone,
those present along with the Twelve
questioned him about the parables.
He answered them,
“The mystery of the Kingdom of God has been granted to you.
But to those outside everything comes in parables, so that
they may look and see but not perceive,
and hear and listen but not understand,
in order that they may not be converted and be forgiven.”
Jesus said to them, “Do you not understand this parable?
Then how will you understand any of the parables?
The sower sows the word.
These are the ones on the path where the word is sown.
As soon as they hear, Satan comes at once
and takes away the word sown in them.
And these are the ones sown on rocky ground who,
when they hear the word, receive it at once with joy.
But they have no roots; they last only for a time.
Then when tribulation or persecution comes because of the word,
they quickly fall away.
Those sown among thorns are another sort.
They are the people who hear the word,
but worldly anxiety, the lure of riches,
and the craving for other things intrude and choke the word,
and it bears no fruit.
But those sown on rich soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it
and bear fruit thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.”
USCCB lectionary
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Reflection on the Scripture
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“He began to teach beside the lake...He began to instruct them at great length.” —Mark 4:1, 2
The parable of the sower and the seed is very important because it is the basis for understanding all the other parables (Mk 4:13) as well as understanding God’s kingdom, which is revealed in parables (see Mt 13:24-50). This parable is not primarily about the sower and the seed, but about four conditions of ground. These represent our openness or lack of openness to God’s Word (Mk 4:20). It is difficult to take
God’s Word to heart because God’s ways are not our ways (Is 55:8). Our hearts are naturally deceitful (Jer 17:9) and hardened (see Ps 95:8), and the Lord repeatedly challenges us in His Word to repent.
In addition to all these difficulties, we have special problems in taking God’s Word to heart in a large group setting. When Jesus taught the parable of the sower, seed, and grounds, He was sitting in a boat on the water a few feet from the shore and addressing “a huge crowd” (Mk 4:1). Jesus was using the water both for crowd-control and as a medium to project His voice to the masses. He was using a primitive form
of mass media. In this context, we tend not to take God’s Word personally. We sit passively waiting to be entertained and look around at the crowd.
This dangerous setting for hearing or not hearing God’s Word is the setting in which we usually hear the Word. When attending Sunday Mass, reading books, watching videos, listening to the radio, and looking at a computer screen or phone, watch out! You are in imminent danger of not taking God’s Word to heart. “Let him who has ears to hear Me, hear!” (Mk 4:9)
Prayer: Father, make me always a doer of Your Word (Jas 1:22).
Promise: “The Spirit God has given us is no cowardly spirit, but rather One that makes us strong, loving, and wise.” —2 Tm 1:7
Presentation Ministries
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Growing in Inner Freedom: A Guide for Today
- by Philip St. Romain. Liguori Publ., 1986.
25. Be More Affirming
People do not light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket. They set it on a stand where it gives light to all in the house (Matthew 5:15).
Each of us comes into the world with a blank self-worth tape in our brains, ready to be programmed by a personal feedback derived from others. Children are largely dependent upon parents for their feedback. Later in life, messages from friends, lovers, God, and even personal insights about ourselves will eliminate, support, or modify our self-concept.
Affirmation is the most powerful but too often neglected way to build one another up. Put simply, affirmation means commenting sincerely and positively on what we like about other people and ourselves in very specific ways. The message is, “I like you, and I like what you’re doing.” When internalized in our self-concept, the conviction is, “I am lovable and capable.” That’s the kind of character Jesus wants to produce in us.
People who affirm are never short on friends. Their spouses love them madly; their children respect them deeply. You, too, can be such a person by adopting more affirmative attitudes.
Suggested Practices
- Smile often. A smile helps to create interior warmth and communicates acceptance to others.
- Say “I love you!” often, especially during “irrelevant” times. Telling people you love them only when they please you gives a message that they must earn your love.
- Tell people what you like about their appearance and character. Be specific, especially with children.
- Let people know what they do that pleases you.
- Say a warm “Thank you!” when people do a service for you—even if it is part of their job. Take nothing for granted—especially in your family.
- If you hear something nice said about someone, pass it on.
- Write yourself an affirmation letter from God.
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