Mark 4:21-25

Hebrews 10:19-25

Psalm 24:1-2, 3-4ab, 5-6

Mark 4:21-25

Jesus said to his disciples,

“Is a lamp brought in to be placed under a bushel basket

or under a bed,

and not to be placed on a lampstand?

For there is nothing hidden except to be made visible;

nothing is secret except to come to light.

Anyone who has ears to hear ought to hear.”

He also told them, “Take care what you hear.

The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you,

and still more will be given to you.

To the one who has, more will be given;

from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, visit me throughout the day so that I may accomplish your work. Inspire my words to give you praise and glory. Move my heart to be generous, kind, and merciful towards all.

Encountering the Word of God

1. The Light of the World: In the first pair of cryptic sayings, Jesus invites his disciples to consider how they use lamps: When they light a lamp, do they put it under a basket or on top of a lampstand? The implication is that Jesus himself is the lamp or light of the world, who has come into the world to bring the light of the Gospel to humanity. Here, “Jesus wishes to prevent a mistaken interpretation of his earlier words about the mystery of the kingdom (Mark 4:11). Despite the obscurity of the parables and the difficulties people have in understanding his teaching, his purpose is not to hide the kingdom but to make it known” (Healy, The Gospel of Mark, 89). The mystery of the kingdom of God, present in Jesus and hidden among them for a time, will be made visible and fully revealed.

2. Divine Generosity: Amid the parables about the Kingdom of God, Jesus encourages his disciples to be generous with others. We need to realize that God has been so generous toward us and grants us mercy without reserve. In the Lord’s Prayer, we ask God the Father to forgive the debt of our sins insofar as we forgive those who have sinned against us. God is generous with his mercy, but also with his grace that empowers us to do good works. Here, Jesus promises that to the one who has, more will be given. Just as an employer entrusts a good employee with more responsibility over time, God wisely bestows the abundance of his grace upon his faithful servants.

3. We Have Confidence: As we journey toward heaven, we do not trust solely in our own strength, as the Letter to the Hebrews reminds us. We have the confidence to enter into the heavenly sanctuary through the Blood of Jesus. As the pioneer of our salvation, he has opened a new and living way for us. We can approach the throne of God’s mercy and grace with sincere hearts and absolute trust because we have been washed clean and our hearts purified in the waters of Baptism and in the mercy of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The Letter to the Hebrews encourages us to look at the members of our community and family and see how we can rouse them to love and do good works. The Pharisees thought they could grow in perfection by separating themselves from others. The Letter to the Hebrews doesn’t fall into that false line of thinking: We are in this together and should not stay away from the liturgical assembly of the Church, but encourage one another as we journey and the day of the Lord’s second advent draws near.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, Light of the world and Pioneer of salvation, direct my eyes toward your heavenly throne. Do not let me be overcome by the anxieties and cares of this world. Sustain me with your grace as I work through trials and resist temptation.

Living the Word of God: Am I generous with my time, talent, and treasure towards others or miserly? Do I strive to imitate God’s generosity and abundance, symbolized especially in the miracles of the multiplication of the loaves and the changing of water into wine?