Daily Readings - Wed Jan 29 2020
2 Samuel
1After the king was settled in his palace and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies around him,2he said to Nathan the prophet, "Here I am, living in a palace of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent."3Nathan replied to the king, "Whatever you have in mind, go ahead and do it, for the LORD is with you."4That night the word of the LORD came to Nathan, saying:5"Go and tell my servant David, 'This is what the LORD says: Are you the one to build me a house to dwell in?6I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt to this day. I have been moving from place to place with a tent as my dwelling.7Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their rulers whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, "Why have you not built me a house of cedar?"'8"Now then, tell my servant David, 'This is what the LORD Almighty says: I took you from the pasture and from following the flock to be ruler over my people Israel.9I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men of the earth.10And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning11and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders over my people Israel. I will also give you rest from all your enemies. "'The LORD declares to you that the LORD himself will establish a house for you:12When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom.13He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.14I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with the rod of men, with floggings inflicted by men.15But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you.16Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.'"17Nathan reported to David all the words of this entire revelation.
Mark
1Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water's edge.2He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said:3"Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed.4As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.5Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow.6But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.7Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain.8Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, multiplying thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times."9Then Jesus said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."10When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables.11He told them, "The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables12so that, "'they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!'"13Then Jesus said to them, "Don't you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable?14The farmer sows the word.15Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.16Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy.17But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.18Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word;19but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.20Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop--thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown."
Sermon
The readings today invite us to reflect on God’s promises and our response to His Word. In the first reading from 2 Samuel, we hear Nathan’s prophetic message to King David, where God reveals that He will establish a house for David—a dynasty that will endure forever. This promise comes as David expresses his desire to build a temple for God, but God reverses the gesture, promising instead to build a lasting kingdom through David’s descendants. This passage is a pivotal moment in Israel’s history, as it points to the eventual coming of Jesus, the Messiah, who would fulfill this promise.
In the Gospel, Jesus teaches the parable of the sower, which reminds us that God’s Word is sown in our hearts, but the fruit it bears depends on the soil—the condition of our hearts. Some hearts are like the path, where the Word is quickly snatched away; others are like rocky ground, where faith is shallow and fleeting; still others are like thorny soil, where worldly concerns choke the Word. But when the Word falls on good soil—open, receptive, and nurturing hearts—it bears abundant fruit. Jesus emphasizes that understanding this parable is key to grasping the mysteries of the kingdom of God.
These readings are deeply connected. The promise to David in 2 Samuel is fulfilled in Christ, who is the ultimate heir of David’s throne. Jesus, as the sower, scatters the Word, and we are called to be the good soil that receives it. In our daily lives, we must ask ourselves: What kind of soil are we? Do we allow the Word to take root in our hearts, or do we let distractions, fears, or worldly attachments prevent it from bearing fruit? The moral lesson is clear: faithfulness to God’s Word and openness to His grace are essential for living a fruitful and purposeful life. Let us strive to be the good soil, nurturing the Word and allowing it to transform us, so that we may bear fruit in abundance for the kingdom of God.