Father Csaba’s reflection on the gospel Wednesday 30 January 2019
You look at the picture , the snow covered landscape and you say , that it is beautiful ! Although like this ,stiffly frozen , a terrible struggle is taking shape in front of our eyes ! These pine trees , just like we as well received the commandment from our Creator to be carriers , the developers of life !! Their seeds fell into hard ground, but they decided to embrace life , they live and they want to live ! Their growth , their function comes to a standstill , in winter silently they crouch under the snow ! In the spring they burst new buds and celebrate their victory over the icy winter aspiring to annihilate the existence by growing a newer crown !! Every year with a flush of victory they grow a new set of branches even though they know that their victory within a few months will come to nothing , and again the icy winter will hit the branches again , yet they still grow towards heaven!!
Today reading our Master’s words about the sower I would not like to reflect , how blessed is the soil , that accepts , is fertile , or thorny or maybe rocky ? But about as a seed carrying life what my duty is : My duty is to accept the soil into which I fell , into which my ancestors died , conquering the difficulties growing big , to produce fruit, lasting fruits !!Are there worries , difficulties , problems ? Certainly there are lots of problems in this earth, thorny, alkaline , rocky soil, but this is what was given to us ! Certainly there are very difficult frosty days, nights, but we have to endure , hope in that , that the blessed blessed sunshine, the spring is coming , when triumphantly new hope, new dream will spring in my heart !!
In the icy winter , awaiting the blessed spring ,
With love,
Father Csaba
translated by dr k.e.
Photo by Fodor István , up on the Hargita .
Gospel
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."
Mk 4:1-20
Father Csaba’s reflection on the gospel Wednesday 30 January 2019