Mark 4:1-20: Daily Gospel XXIV

I love this parable for the fact that it's about the only one where Jesus goes into detail for them as to what each portion means. Nowadays we like to think we are so advanced in our learning of the Bible that the parables are too simplistic and child-like for us to learn anything from them. Ah, how mistaken we are. There is always depth to God's Word. I think we best discover this when we focus on just one small part of the parable, such as when we are asked to put ourselves in the role of the father in the parable of the Prodigal Son, or the Samaritan in the parable of the Good Samaritan.

Just so, in this parable, I found myself thinking of the seed which falls on the path. The seed doesn't even have the chance to take root before it is trampled underfoot, or swept away with the wind. Jesus identifies this seed as the Word that is sown, and Satan comes and takes the Word from them. I wondered at first how this situation would be different from the thorns (cares of the world choking out the Word). So often we fall prey to cares of the world without Satan having to lift a finger to do anything. The seed on the path is almost more circumstantial; Satan blocks the Word from being able to take effect (or so he thinks). We can think of many ways this may take place: the Gospel not being properly taught or interpreted, or maybe being presented with some resources on Scripture and moral teaching but never having the time or proper encouragement to follow through and learn.

There are some fallen-away Catholic family and friends I can think of by whom I am separated by distance. Sometimes the thought crosses my mind, "Where are the good Catholics in their area? Who could they encounter today? If only a good Catholic, wherever they are, could somehow have the courage to step into their lives this very day and make a difference." How often do we pray for our fellow Catholics to receive their proper instruction and then to boldly go proclaim the Gospel? The Word is ready to be scattered, but is kept from reaching the soil it needs to reach. There is a real spiritual battle going on, and we must, must pray for each other to reach those who need to hear the Word.

Further, we need to pray for the grace to recognize those who need to hear the Good News. Something I learned in my time with FOCUS, which I have found indeed rings true in my life, is that just because someone grew up with you, learned the same lessons and the same catechesis, that does not mean that they were ever personally invited into a relationship with God. It stuns me still that fellow students I went to high school with, whom I know were in the same classes which convicted me in my faith, could not hear the same message; perhaps they were never invited to participate in it. Whenever I was asked by my FOCUS discipler about what grounded me in my faith at a young age, I give a lot of credit to Totus Tuus...growing up, as long as I remember, I was surrounded by young adults who were cool, living out their faith, and inviting us into their joy. How beautiful!

Let us pray that Satan be defeated from blocking us from sowing the Word, by praying for other Catholics who may have a strong influence if only they knew who to reach, and also in our own lives by recognizing those around us that we are neglecting to invite into a loving and tender faith and love with our God. May the blinds fall off of our eyes to recognize the hurt in our world and act upon it.

A "God loves you" day

It's been one of those weeks...

That about says it. Struggles I see other people going through...struggles all around. Major struggle bus. I think it's about time to have a "God is still here and still loves you" day.

What would such a day hold? Good music. Good reading. Returning to beautiful notes from friends, prayers, pictures.

Sometimes faith seems to swing from one extreme to another. A popular extreme these days is "Love is a decision, not a feeling." Of course it is. But we can't keep denying that love necessarily involves feeling...as I love reminding people, and as I need to be so often reminded myself, we are body and soul. A previous class on the philosophy of love was the perfect reminder for me that the Church recognizes this. Love is not only feeling, but it does involve feeling, and we shouldn't keep sweeping it under a rug or diminishing that. Instead we should explore it, what is involved, what is the meaning. I think this ties in with another popular thought in Catholic circles that Mass is not what you get out of it, but what you put into it. Again, not denying any truth. But if someone is really for long periods of time not discovering true love and peace within prayer, then it's a good time to discuss that with a spiritual director. Maybe a change in prayer focus. Maybe prayer a different time of day. But prayer should necessarily be affecting us bodily, physically, and mentally. It is not an isolated soul experience.

My prayer has been wacky lately, and sometimes it's hard to kickstart because you start to convince yourself that you don't deserve a prayer life, you don't deserve to feel things you once felt in prayer because you haven't been trying hard enough at prayer itself, so what's the use? Of course the feeling is not that which we should be primarily seeking, but it's undeniable that it should be part of the experience. Even those in the dark night of the soul who are advanced in prayer are experiencing a physical type of peace and loss and ache for Christ...it would be wrong to say that the dark night is a non-experiencing of God. It should not be something to scare us. Instead, it should awaken a deep desire in us to delve still further.

So I will seek God and His love and protection...not because I expect to feel nothing, not because I expect to feel consolation, but because He is my Father and I love Him, and I accept whatever will accompany my prayer. I will pray with Mary because she is the perfect model of this being affected by prayer; she pondered and truly felt the prayer and accompanying aches and joys.

God loves you...are you willing to feel it?

Entering into the ordinary (season)

I had my first chiropractor appointment today. She observed my idiosyncrasies (right hip higher than left, abnormal movement of back when bending, apparently my neck is cray-cray when I close my eyes and bring my head to eye level...weird). I had my first ever readjustment, folks...hips were popped in, spine was popped, neck was crunched (weird weird weird...how many times can I use that word when speaking of this readjustment business? The human body is a strange thing, people.). Following on lab work also, she had me pick up some good ole Vitamin D at the pharmacy...it will help maintain bone health, and, oh I don't know, maybe boost my seasonal low energy? Maybe? One can be hopeful... I wouldn't necessarily say I have SAD, at least not anything nearly severe as what I know other people experience it, but I have been staying as close to the windows as possible during the day all winter just to attempt to soak in that little bit of sunlight to boost my mood. Apparently I'm below the low range for Vitamin D, so I'll be taking a somewhat high dosage.

Anywho, now that I've bored you with that update...

Honeymoon/birthday were awesome! Splendid! Wonderful! Restful! We went to our lovely friends' wedding, went to a movie on my birthday, hit up the Mall of America, and for a post-birthday treat for me, since museums apparently are not open on Mondays, we went to the Minnesota History Museum on our last day (I'm such a nerd...). We came back on Thursday and had a bit of a stay-cation for the last three days before today. Ah. Lovely lovely.

School starts up this week. Mostly just introducing yourself to all of the other online peeps at this point. I'll be taking Synoptic Gospels and Fundamental Moral Theology I, my last two core classes. I figure that way I can finish off school with a summer semester of fun electives. It looks like the Synoptic Gospels class will be mostly Lectio Divina, which is interesting...I've never really been graded on Lection Divina...? We shall see how it goes.