The Holy Priest-Martyr Eutyches; Pidhorets’k Icon of the Mother of God (1772)
2 Corinthians 12:20-13:2; Mark 4:24-34
Read Mark 4:24-34
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!
Today we read two parables regarding the kingdom of heaven. Before telling these parables, Jesus said: “Pay attention to what you hear; the measure you give will be the measure you get, and still more will be given you. For to those who have, more will be given; and from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away” (Mk. 4:24-25).
These words of Christ might seem vague, but we can understand them as a call to attentiveness. We need to pay attention in order to catch what Jesus really means when He teaches using parables because the apparent meaning conceals a deeper, spiritual one. If we are not paying careful attention, then the meaning of the parables can be lost on us. If we properly understand the parables, then they open up great spiritual riches to us and can transform the way we live.
Earlier in this same chapter of the Gospel of Mark, we find the Parable of the Sower (Mk. 4:2-9). The first of the two parables we read today about growing seed continues the theme set in the Parable of the Sower where the “good ground” becomes the place for the Word of God to take root and germinate. To be “good ground,” we need to be receptive to cultivate the Word of God. Today’s first parable accentuates the point that once the seed is scattered on good ground, with time the seed will gradually develop and mature. There are no instant results. Once the growth is complete, then comes time for the harvest.
Let us challenge ourselves on our receptivity to Jesus’ words so that we may be “good ground” to receive the Word of God. During the Divine Liturgy, we often hear the deacon or priest exhort us: “Wisdom! Let us be attentive.” Do we ignore their words, or do we use them as an opportunity to pay closer attention to what is said or happens next?