Hello everyone.
Hey yo! Welcome back to Scattering Flowers with Elise and Miles, a podcast where you read the daily Gospels and the Saint of the Day.
Let’s get started.
Today is Thursday, October 8th, and we are starting something new on Scattering Flowers podcast.
We are going to take our time and read through the Bible together.
Each weekday, we will read a short passage and work our way throughout the year.
Here we go, Mark 4.
Again he began to teach beside the sea, and a very large crowd gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea, and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land.
And he taught them many things in parables, and in his teachings he said to them, Listen.
A sower went out to sow, and as he sowed some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it.
Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where it had not much soil, and immediately it sprang up.
And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away.
Another seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain.
And other seeds fell into good soil and brought forth grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.
And he said, He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
And when he was alone, those who were about him with the twelve asked him concerning the parables.
And he said to them, To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables, so that they may indeed see but not perceive, that they may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn again and be forgiven.
And he said to them, Do you not understand this parable?
How then will you understand all the parables?
The sower sows the word, and these are the ones along the path, there the word is sown.
When they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word which is sown into them.
And these in like a manner are the ones sown upon rocky ground, who when they hear the word immediately receive it with joy, and they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while.
Then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away.
And others are the ones sown among thorns.
They are those who hear the word, the cares of the world and the delight in riches and the desire for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.
But those who were sown upon the good soil are those who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.
He said to them, Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket or under a bed?
To the contrary, it is placed on the lampstand, for nothing is hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing is secret that will not be brought to light.
If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.
He also told them, Pay careful attention to what you hear.
The measure you give will be the measure you will receive, and you will receive more in addition.
To the one who has more will be given; from the one who does not have, even what little he has will be taken away.
He went on to say, The kingdom of God is like this: a man scatters seed on the ground night and day, while he sleeps and while he is awake.
The seed sprouts and grows, though he does not understand how.
The ground produces fruit on its own accord, first the shoot, then the ear, and then the full grain.
In the ear, and when the crop is ripe, he immediately stretches out the sickle, because the time for harvest has come.
He then said, With what shall we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable can we use to explain it?
It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground, is the smallest of all, all the seeds of the earth.
But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the greatest of all plants, and it puts forth large branches so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.
With many such parables as these, he spoke the word to them so far they were able to comprehend it.
He never spoke to them except in parables.
He explained everything to his disciples when they were by themselves.
On that day, as evening approached, he said to them, Let us cross over to the other side.
And so, leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat just as he was.
Some other boats joined him.
Suddenly, a great storm came up, and the waves were crashing over the boat so that it was almost swamped.
Jesus was in the stern, asleep on the cushion, and they awakened him and said, Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?
Then he stood up and rebuked the wind, and he said to the sea, Quiet, be still.
The wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
He said to them, Why are you so frightened?
Are you still without faith?
They were all in awe and said to one another, Who can this be?
Even the wind and the sea obey him.
These parables are stories to help us see things here and now, and to take it to heart of God’s love.
Let’s pray.
In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Dear God, thank you for your parables that show us the truth, and help us to keep the truth in our hearts.
Amen.
In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, amen.
Thank you so much for listening.
We’ll be back tomorrow, scattering more flowers.
See ya.