Breaking the Word – Page 2533 – Rev. Dr. Victor Antonyraj SDB

29.01.10 SLEEP AND RISE NIGHT AND DAY

Posted under Reflections on January 28th, 2010 by

"This is how it is with the kingdom of God; it is as if a man were

to scatter seed on the land and would sleep and rise night and day

and the seed would sprout and grow, he knows not how.

Of its own accord the land yields fruit, first the blade, then the ear,

then the full grain in the ear. And when the grain is ripe, he wields

the sickle at once, for the harvest has come." (Mk 4,26-29)

When Jesus narrated this parable, he would have had a smile on

his lips. That is a "man would sleep and rise night and day".

Jesus knows well that man, of his own, cannot do anything.

Even what he does is significantly nothing. Everything is

work of creation and the creator. Man only sows the seed and

waters and then he sleeps and rises.

Does Jesus say that man can only sleep and rise

and he is not capable of doing anything else?

Probably that is what Jesus wants his listeners to understand.

Man is just an instrument in the created world.

He himself is a creation of God. He can only assist or

continue the work of creation.

By saying 'sleep and rise night and day' Jesus wants the man

to admire and wonder at the creation and the work of GOD.

Man should realize his dependability on God.

When this parable is taken in the context of the Kingdom

of God the disciple should realize that he is nothing.

Kingdom is the work of God. God works the kingdom in the world

and man does the minimum and he sleeps and rises.

Kingdom works its way through in spite of disciple's sleep.

(in spite of sleepy disciples!!!)

It is God's work. Man can not boast of anything.

GOD WORKS HIS KINGDOM ON HIS OWN

28.01.10 MORE WILL BE GIVEN

Posted under Reflections on January 27th, 2010 by

To the one who has, more will be given; from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.” Mk 4,25

One always wonders why Jesus said this.

How could a just God give more to the one who has enough and take away the little from another who has very little?

This (Mk 4,25) is a cryptic saying.In fact all the verses for today’s reading are cryptic in one way or another.

Mk 4,25 in its extended form runs thus:

To the one who has [made extra from what is given to him]

more will be given from the one who has not [made use of what is given him and produced more out of it] even what he has will be taken away.

Probably this cryptic saying only gets extended as the parable of the talents. (Mt 25)

So what Jesus says is just the natural consequence of events.

Whatever gifts and talents that are given are to be made use to gain more out of it. Gifts ane talents are not just to be kept and wasted. They are to be multiplied and shared.

When this is done then the gifts and talents get multiplied and when it is not used then even the gifts that one has is wasted and lost. It is as good as being taken away.

Gifts, talents, time etc are to be made use to multiply and produce more gifts. MORE WILL BE GIVEN