Replies

From: Jeremiah 3:14-17

Call to conversion

[14] Return, O faithless children, says the LORD;
for I am your master;
I will take you, one from a city and two from a family,
and I will bring you to Zion.

[15] “’And I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with
Knowledge and understanding. [16] And when you have multiplied and increased
in the land, in those days, says the LORD, they shall no more say, “The ark of
the covenant of the LORD.” It shall not come to mind, or be remembered, or
missed; it shall not be made again. [17] At that time Jerusalem shall be called
the throne of the LORD, and all nations shall gather to it, to the presence of the
LORD in Jerusalem, and they shall no more stubbornly follow their own evil heart.

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Commentary:

3:14-18. The fall of the city to the armies of Nebuchadnezzar and the deporta-
tions that followed (587 BC) marked the depth of Judah’s misfortune; her repea-
ted infidelity was the sole cause. Here, as in the previous oracle, the prophet
says that God is ready to receive Israel and Judah back, provided they seek his
forgiveness (3:12-13).

The oracle is full of hope; the future will never have any reason to hanker after the
past. An entirely new situation will be created. Up to this, the ark of the Covenant
was considered to be the foremost evidence of God’s presence. According to the
Bible, the ark was made in the wilderness on Moses’ instructions, in line with the
Lord’s specifications; it was to be the centerpiece of the sanctuary (cf. Ex 25:10-
22). The ark stayed with the people all the way to the land of Canaan and, after
being kept in various places, it was solemnly placed by Solomon in the temple
of Jerusalem. It contained the Covenant that the Lord made with Israel when he
brought it out of the land of Egypt (cf. 1 Kings 8:21). With the fall of Jerusalem
to Nebuchadnezzar and the looting of the temple, there is no further mention of
the ark of the Covenant. That event marks the end of the old situation, Jeremiah’s
oracle seems to say. In the future it will be the whole city of Jerusalem that evi-
dences the presence of God (vv. 16-17).

As is true of other oracles from Jeremiah, even though in the first instance they
refer to the restoration of Judah after the exile, his words have a wider applica-
tion, reaching out to the renewal that will take place when the Messiah comes.
The Covenant to which the ark bore witness has been broken by Israel (cf. 11:
6-8), and its place will be taken by a New Covenant to which the hearts of men
shall bear witness (cf. 31:31-37) and which will have a new priesthood (”shep-
herds”: v. 15).

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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

From: Matthew 13:18-23

Meaning of the Parable of the Sower

[18] “Hear then the parable of the sower. [19] When any one hears the Word of
the Kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away
what is sown in his heart; this is what was sown along the path. [20] As for what
was sown on rocky ground, this is he who hears the Word and immediately re-
ceives it with joy; [21] yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and
when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the Word, immediately he
falls away. [22] As for what was sown among thorns, this is he who hears the
Word, but the cares of the world and the delight in riches choke the Word, and
it proves unfruitful. [23] As for what was sown on good soil, this is he who hears
the Word and understands it; he indeed bears fruit, and yields, in one case a
hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”

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Commentary:

3. Chapter 13 of St. Matthew includes as many as seven of Jesus’ parables,
which is the reason why it is usually called “the parable discourse” or the “para-
bolic discourse”. Because of their similarity of content and setting these para-
bles are often called the “Kingdom parables”, and also the “parables of the Lake”,
because Jesus taught them on the shore of Lake Gennesaret. Jesus uses these
elaborate comparisons (parables) to explain certain features of the Kingdom of
God which He has come to establish (cf. Matthew 3:2)—its tiny, humble origins;
its steady growth; its worldwide scope; its salvific force. God calls everyone to
salvation but only those attain it who receive God’s call with good dispositions
and who do not change their attitude; the value of the spiritual benefits the King-
dom brings—so valuable that one should give up everything to obtain them; the
fact that good and bad are all mixed together until the harvest time, or the time
of God’s judgment; the intimate connection between earthly and heavenly as-
pects of the Kingdom, until it reaches its point of full development at the end of
time.

On Jesus’ lips, parables are exceptionally effective. By using parables He keeps
His listeners’ attention, whether they are uneducated or not, and by means of
the most ordinary things of daily life He sheds light on the deepest supernatural
mysteries. He used the parable device in a masterly way; His parables are quite
unique; they carry the seal of His personality; through them He has graphically
shown us the riches of grace, the life of the Church, the demands of the faith
and even the mystery of God’s own inner life.

Jesus’ teaching continues to provide every generation with light and guidance on
moral conduct. By reading and reflecting on His parables one can savor the ado-
rable humanity of the Savior, who showed such kindness to the people who crow-
ded around to hear Him—and who shows the same readiness to listen to our pra-
yers, despite our dullness, and to reply to our healthy curiosity when we try to
make out His meaning.

19. He does not understand because he does not love—not because he is not
clever enough: lack of love opens the door of the soul to the devil.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.