Daily Readings - Wed Jan 24 2018

First Reading - 2 Samuel 7.1-17

¹Now it happened that, when the king had settled in his house, and the Lord had given him rest on every side from all his enemies²he said to the prophet Nathan, "Do you not see that I live in a house of cedar, and that the ark of God has been placed in the midst of tent skins?³And Nathan said to the king: "Go, do all that is in your heart. For the Lord is with you.⁴But it happened in that night, behold, the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying⁵"Go, and say to my servant David: ‘Thus says the Lord: Should you build a house for me as a dwelling place⁶For I have not lived in a house from the day that I led the sons of Israel away from the land of Egypt, even to this day. Instead, I have walked in a tabernacle, and in a tent⁷And in all the places that I have crossed through, with all the sons of Israel, did I ever speak a word to anyone from the tribes of Israel, whom I instructed to pasture my people Israel, saying: Why have you not built me a house of cedar?⁸And now, so shall you speak to my servant David: ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: I took you from the pastures, from following the sheep, so that you would be the leader over my people Israel⁹And I have been with you everywhere that you walked. And I have slain all your enemies before your face. And I have made you a great name, beside the name of the great ones who are upon the earth¹⁰And I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and I will plant them, and they shall live there, and they shall no longer be disturbed. Neither shall the sons of iniquity continue to afflict them as before¹¹from the day when I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will give rest to you from all your enemies. And the Lord foretells to you that the Lord himself will make a house for you¹²And when your days will have been fulfilled, and you will sleep with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who will go forth from your loins, and I will make firm his kingdom¹³He himself shall build a house to my name. And I will establish the throne of his kingdom, even forever¹⁴I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. And if he will commit any iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men and with the wounds of the sons of men¹⁵But my mercy I will not take away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before my face¹⁶And your house shall be faithful, and your kingdom shall be before your face, for eternity, and your throne shall be secure continuously.’ ¹⁷According to all these words, and according to this entire vision, so did Nathan speak to David

Gospel - Mark 4.1-20

Mark

Chapter 4

¹And again, he began to teach by the sea. And a great crowd was gathered to him, so much so that, climbing into a boat, he was seated on the sea. And the entire crowd was on the land along the sea²And he taught them many things in parables, and he said to them, in his doctrine³"Listen. Behold, the sower went out to sow⁴And while he was sowing, some fell along the way, and the birds of the air came and ate it⁵Yet truly, others fell upon stony ground, where it did not have much soil. And it rose up quickly, because it had no depth of soil⁶And when the sun was risen, it was scorched. And because it had no root, it withered away⁷And some fell among thorns. And the thorns grew up and suffocated it, and it did not produce fruit⁸And some fell on good soil. And it brought forth fruit that grew up, and increased, and yielded: some thirty, some sixty, and some one hundred.⁹And he said, "Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear.¹⁰And when he was alone, the twelve, who were with him, questioned him about the parable¹¹And he said to them: "To you, it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God. But to those who are outside, everything is presented in parables¹²‘so that, seeing, they may see, and not perceive; and hearing, they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they may be converted, and their sins would be forgiven them.’ ¹³And he said to them: "Do you not understand this parable? And so, how will you understand all the parables¹⁴He who sows, sows the word¹⁵Now there are those who are along the way, where the word is sown. And when they have heard it, Satan quickly comes and takes away the word, which was sown in their hearts¹⁶And similarly, there are those who were sown upon stony ground. These, when they have heard the word, immediately accept it with gladness¹⁷But they have no root in themselves, and so they are for a limited time. And when next tribulation and persecution arises because of the word, they quickly fall away¹⁸And there are others who are sown among thorns. These are those who hear the word¹⁹but worldly tasks, and the deception of riches, and desires about other things enter in and suffocate the word, and it is effectively without fruit²⁰And there are those who are sown upon good soil, who hear the word and accept it; and these bear fruit: some thirty, some sixty, and some one hundred.

Sermon

In today’s readings, we encounter two profound moments of divine communication. The first reading from 2 Samuel recounts Nathan’s prophetic message to King David, where God reveals that He will establish David’s house, not through David building a temple, but through a lasting dynasty. This promise underscores God’s sovereign plan and trust in David’s leadership. The Gospel reading from Mark presents Jesus teaching the parable of the sower, illustrating how people receive God’s Word. Jesus explains that the seed’s growth depends on the soil’s condition, symbolizing the varying responses to His message. The context of these readings reveals significant themes. In 2 Samuel, Nathan’s prophecy occurs after David has secured his kingdom, highlighting God’s faithfulness and the establishment of a covenant. For Mark, Jesus uses the parable to guide His disciples in understanding the spiritual receptivity of their audience, emphasizing the importance of fertile hearts. These readings connect through the theme of divine initiative and human response. God’s promise to David and the parable of the sower both emphasize trust and receptivity. Just as David trusted God’s plan, we must cultivate hearts that receive God’s Word with openness and faith. In our daily lives, we are called to be the good soil, nurturing God’s Word and allowing it to bear fruit. This requires us to examine our hearts, ensuring they are fertile ground for spiritual growth. The moral lesson here is the importance of faithfulness and openness to God’s message, allowing it to transform us and produce abundant fruit in our lives.