January 24, Wednesday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time
Memorial of Saint Francis de Sales, bishop and doctor of the Church
Daily readings: 2 Samuel 7:4–17, Mark 4:1–20
The Hebrew concept of hesed, translated as ‘steadfast love', plays an important role in the first reading of today. Hesed indicates the foundation of God’s covenant with humankind. It “reveals the ongoing, creative, consistent, unswerving, suffering, and loyal love of God for His chosen people.” David has perhaps failed to build a house for God, but God will not fail him in spite of that. He will build a house in terms of the Davidic dynasty.
The Psalmist rightly says, “His steadfast love endures forever” (Ps 136). This hope enabled them to survive all kinds of crises in their history. Members of future generations invoked God to fulfill hesed he promised to David (cf. 1 Kgs 8:23; Ps 89:24; 130:7; 132:11–12; 136). It is impossible to destroy the Davidic kingship. Even when they were in exile, they didn’t lose hope in the restoration of the Davidic kingdom through the coming of the Messiah. Jesus of Nazareth, born in the family of David, fulfills this expectation (cf. Mat 2:2; 3:3; Luke 3:22; 4:18–19).
The parable of the sower combines two key elements to form the core of Mark’s Gospel. They are Christology and Discipleship. The sower sows the Word of God. Various kinds of hearers are identified with different soils. Diverse obstacles to hearing the Word are the experiences of the early church, such as troubles, persecutions, worries and deceitfulness of wealth. The interpretation of the parable stresses listening and responding by bearing fruit.
Discipleship toward Jesus primarily depends on receptivity. Hearing, receiving and bearing fruit are the marks of a disciple of Jesus. This parable warns the disciples that obstacles will beset the ministry they carry out for Jesus, but it will produce an incomparable result. The disciples will also sow the seeds and experience tremendous frustration and instances where the harvest seems next to impossible.
Holy Mother Church celebrates the feast of St. Francis De Sales, Bishop, Confessor and Doctor of the Church. He obtained a Doctorate in Law at the age of 25. The very next year, he became a priest, refusing senatorship. His contribution to the promotion of spirituality in the Church is great.
Call to Action for Catholic Living: Our response to the God of revelation is faith. It is our faith in God that will ultimately save us. How profound is your faith?
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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