Dear Parishioners,
Jesus often uses parables
to get his message across. Most times I
prefer someone to be clear and direct. Tell me exactly what you mean! Don't
give me a song and a dance! Give it to
me straight! However, Jesus
frequently does not do this. He may
answer a question with another question. He may remain silent. He may tell a
parable.
A parable is a
succinct, didactic story, in prose or verse that illustrates one or more
instructive lessons or principles. It differs from a fable in that fables
employ animals, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature as characters, whereas parables have human
characters. A parable is a type of
analogy.
One thing that parables should make
us do is think. At times, we may come to different
conclusions or even be left confused. Jesus would explain parables to his disciples privately to help
them understand their meaning as he did today with the Parable of the Sower (Mt. 13: 1-23) or in the parable about the Weeds in the Field (Mt. 13: 24-43). Just because Jesus may use symbolic, poetic or
a type of flowery language--make no mistake--even in the use and explanation of his parables, he could
be quite forceful when speaking about certain things (like a fiery furnace and wailing and
grinding of teeth!)
Next, there is this concept of
the Kingdom of Heaven. Living in a nation that does not have a king
and even established its unique identity by declaring independence from a king,
the idea of kingship may be foreign to
many and perhaps, repugnant. I vote! I pay taxes! No one is going to tell me what to do!
Be careful, however, when we refer to God. We are creatures; God is Creator. God is absolutely sovereign. We were brought into being by God's great love
and given intelligence and free-will, noting how we were created in His image and likeness. Respect
for God (fear of the Lord) and all
that God is (omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, all-holy, all-merciful, all-loving,
transcendent, eternal, etc., etc.)
gets lost in a secular society. We suffer from shortsightedness, a desire for
pleasure and immediate gratification and an ever-increasing absence and possible
disdain for any matters considered religious, sacred or holy. Even the absolute sacredness of human life
itself has dramatically and horrendously diminished.
When Pope St. John Paul II gave to us the Luminous Mysteries of the Holy Rosary for meditation and
reflection, I initially thought that the third mystery was somewhat
ambiguous. Why was the Proclamation of the Kingdom (and the Call to Conversion) so
important? With time, I have personally realized
a deeper appreciation of this mystery. Allow me to share this descriptive synopsis of the mystery:
The preaching by which Jesus proclaims the coming of the Kingdom of God, calls to conversion (cf. Mk. 1:15) and forgives the sins of all who draw near to him in humble trust (cf. Mk 2:3-13; Lk. 7:47- 48): the inauguration of that ministry of mercy which he continues to exercise until the end of the world, particularly through the Sacrament of Reconciliation which he has entrusted to his Church (cf. Jn. 20:22-23).
Jesus ushered in the Kingdom
of God and through His Incarnation
Heaven and Earth were united.
May we do
our part to build up His Kingdom here on Earth!
Pastor
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