June 14, 2015
Eleventh Sunday of Ordinary Time Cycle B
Our Sunday Readings
When have you doubted that something good that was coming?
24
:22- 6
7
1
KIEL -3,13-1 0
EZE
1
2:2
5:6M9
S
L
N
A
IA
PS
NTH 26-34
I
R
O
K 4:
2C
MAR
Planting the
Kingdom
Prayer
(by St. Vincent de Paul)
O divine Savior,
you came into this world to preach
your gospel in delightful simplicity.
I humbly ask you to let me learn from
your example.
Make me acquire your spirit of
simplicity
and by your grace spread it around,
in a simple and direct manner,
for the spiritual well-being of others.
May I thus promulgate your word,
spreading it wherever I go
as your good and faithful servant.
In your kindness you have entrusted
this work to me.
O my dear Savior,
pour out your spirit of simplicity into
my heart so that I may be your true
apostle by always fully cooperating
with your grace.
Amen.
prepared by Edrianne Ezell | EIU Newman Catholic Center | eiunewman.org | 217-348-0188 | [email protected]
IGNORANCE OF SCRIPTURE IS IGNORANCE OF CHRIST
EZEKIEL 17:22-24
Reading closely
1. What does God do to the tree?
2. Where does God take the shoot?
3. What happens to the tree?
4. What do the other trees represent?
5. What does God say he can do to
trees in v.24?
6. What does v.24 reveal about God?
7. How might those hearing this
parable have responded?
Living the word
8. Share a time you felt uprooted.
Were you consoled? Were you
replanted? How did God seem?
THE FIRST READING
Seed of good news
Ezekiel prophesied as the Babylonian
Empire conquered Jerusalem in the sixth
century BC. The Israelites believed that
God would protect Jerusalem and its
temple, but Ezekiel warned that God
would leave his holy city in the hands of
their enemies as a punishment for their
sins. Here he provides some consolation
in the face of this terrifying news.
God plants the messiah
God had promised that a descendant of
King David would reign over Israel
forever (2 Sam 7). When the Babylonians
deported the Israelite king, God seemed
to have broken his promise. Here God
assures his people that he will one day
enthrone a new descendant of David in
Jerusalem.
The tree represents David’s ancestral
line. The top of the tree is the future
Davidic king. The mountain is Jerusalem.
Although things look bad now, one day
David’s line will be restored, the region
will be rebuilt, and the people will flock
back in safety.
–ST. JEROME
THE GOSPEL READING
Hearing and believing
These two parables come right after the
parable about the sower. People who
hear and accept the teaching of Jesus are
the fruit that grows from the seed
planted on good soil. Such people
become Jesus’ followers. Jesus directs
these next two parables to them.
Parables
While reflecting on a parable it’s
important to remember that parables
don’t mean only one thing. A good
parable invites people to think about it,
talk about it, and come to more than one
insight. Parables are not allegories. In an
allegory each element of the story
represents something else.
Good parables change the way people
think about something. Ideally, parables
also change the way people act. One of
the reasons Jesus was such a good
teacher is his parables challenged people
to think and live differently.
Hidden but certain growth
In vv.26-29 the farmer plants seed and
then watches it grow through a power
he doesn’t control. Jesus is like a farmer
who’s planted the seeds of God’s
kingdom. His followers may wonder how
or if God will complete his kingdom, but
this parable assures them it will happen.
The harvest is like the final judgment
when God gathers people into his
kingdom.
Tiny seed
Mustard seeds are only a few millimeters
in diameter. In this parable Jesus creates a
fun contrast between the nearly
microscopic seed and the large tree that
eventually grows from it, a tree large
enough to shelter birds! If Jesus’
followers are feeling dismayed by the
delay of God’s kingdom, then this story
encourages them to be patient and to
remain faithful.
Other insights
Here’s some of what the parables leave
us to ponder. Don’t read this until you’ve
come up with insights of your own!
• God controls the growth of his
kingdom
• We don’t always see or understand
how God is at work
• There’s often a difference between
what we see and what’s really
happening
• God’s kingdom has humble beginnings;
it doesn’t have to grow in obvious and
awe-inspiring ways
MARK 4:26-34
Reading closely
1. How does the seed grow in vv.26-29?
2. What does the farmer do while the seed grows?
3. What does the farmer do once the seed has grown?
4. Is there any indication that the seed won’t grow?
5. What does this parable teach us about God’s kingdom?
6. What’s surprising about the mustard seed?
7. What all might Jesus be trying to teach with the parable of the mustard seed?
8. What might the seed in both parables represent?
9. What might the growth represent?
10. What insights do the two parables have in common?
11. Why does Jesus speak in parables?
12. How might you have responded to Jesus’ parables?
Living the word
13. Are there insights from these two parables that comfort you?
14. Are there insights that challenge you?
15. What do these parables invite you to pray about?