I was watching some show on the History Channel…sort of a
documentary that showed all the historical discrepancy and contradictions in
the Bible. So I had to ask myself
how this affected my faith. But I
keep coming back to the same conclusion.
No matter how many inaccuracies in the translations from one language to
another and then to another, no matter how many typos, time warps and
mysterious happenings there is still this bright thread of truth that sews the
supernatural to the natural and stitches together a small remnant of believers…and
a believer is what I choose to be.
For me today’s Gospel readings confirmed just that.
Mark 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.”
