Daily Gospel Reflection: Memorial of Saint Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

Daily Gospel Reflection: Memorial of Saint Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

Bishop Robert Barron 

January 24, 2024 

Memorial of Saint Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor of the Church 

Gospel: 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." 

*United States Conference of Catholic 

Bishop Robert Barron

Friends, in today’s Gospel, Jesus tells the parable of the sower. 

In this famous story of the sower, we focus on the different types of soil and apply them symbolically to ourselves. Now, there is nothing wrong with this interpretation as far as it goes, but I think that it misses what was at the heart of the parable for Jesus. 

Focus your attention on this absolutely mad sower. Imagine a crowd of farmers listening to this parable: a man goes out to sow and he throws the seed on the path, on rocky soil, on thorny soil, and finally on good soil. The original hearers of this tale would have have exchanged glances and rolled their eyes at the ridiculousness of this farmer.

That was precisely the reaction that Jesus wanted. For God is like this crazy farmer, sowing the seed of his word and his love—not only on receptive soil, not only to those who will respond, but also on the path, on the rocks, and the thorns, lavishly pouring out his love on those who are least likely to respond. God’s love is irrational, extravagant, embarrassing, unreasonable, completely over the top. 

Các bạn thân mến, 

trong bài Tin Mừng hôm nay, Chúa Giêsu kể dụ ngôn người gieo giống. 

Trong câu chuyện nổi tiếng về người gieo hạt này, chúng ta tập trung vào các loại đất khác nhau và áp dụng chúng một cách tượng trưng cho chính mình. Bây giờ, cách giải thích này không có gì sai, nhưng tôi nghĩ rằng nó thiếu những gì cốt lõi của dụ ngôn về Chúa Giêsu. 

Hãy tập trung sự chú ý của bạn vào người gieo hạt hoàn toàn điên rồ này. Hãy tưởng tượng một đám đông nông dân đang nghe dụ ngôn này: Một người đàn ông đi gieo hạt và ném hạt giống xuống đường, trên đất đá, trên đất gai, và cuối cùng trên đất tốt. Những người đầu tiên nghe câu chuyện này chắc hẳn sẽ liếc nhìn nhau và trợn mắt trước sự lố bịch của người nông dân này. 

Đó chính xác là phản ứng mà Chúa Giêsu mong muốn. Vì Thiên Chúa giống như người nông dân điên rồ này, gieo hạt giống lời nói và tình yêu của Ngài - không chỉ trên mảnh đất dễ tiếp thu, không chỉ cho những người đáp lại, mà còn trên con đường, trên đá và gai, tuôn đổ một cách hào phóng những hạt giống của Ngài. yêu thương những người ít có khả năng đáp lại. Tình yêu của Chúa thật phi lý, ngông cuồng, đáng xấu hổ, vô lý, quá đáng.