Wednesday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time
January 27, 2021
Daily Reading from the USCCB: Mark 4:1-20
God desires a bountiful harvest for his kingdom. The word of God is the bringer of life and all that is good. Therefore “whoever has ears to hear ought to hear.” In this parable from Mark’s Gospel, Jesus demonstrates both the generous and even frivolous nature of God’s word. The sower isn’t careful about where he throws the seed. He throws it everywhere.
This lavish display shows us just how much God wants his word to grow in our world. Sadly, not everywhere the word of God lands brings forth good fruit. Some of us have been hardened and jaded, like a well-traveled road. God’s word is easily trampled. For others, the word is choked out by worldly concerns and desires.
To bear fruit, we must be like softened ground–open and receptive. We should also take care to remove the thorns of envy, greed, lust, and so on, if the word is to take hold. Let us be like that good ground and bear fruit a hundredfold.
