Third Luminous Mystery - Proclamation of the Kingdom of God
I Desire God's Forgiveness
Think of Christ's preaching of the Kingdom of God with its call to
forgiveness, as He inaugurated the ministry of mercy, which He
continues to exercise until the end of the world, particularly through
the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
Luke 4
14
Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news of him
spread throughout the whole region.
15
He taught in their synagogues and was praised by all.
16
7 He came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and went according to
his custom into the synagogue on the sabbath day. He stood up to read
17
and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll
and found the passage where it was written:
18
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to
bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to
captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free,
19
and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord."
20
Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down,
and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him.
21
He said to them, "Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your
hearing."
22
And all spoke highly of him and were amazed at the gracious words
that came from his mouth. They also asked, "Isn't this the son of
Joseph?"
23
He said to them, "Surely you will quote me this proverb, 'Physician,
cure yourself,' and say, 'Do here in your native place the things that we
heard were done in Capernaum.'"
24
And he said, "Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own
native place.
Mark 4
1
On another occasion he began to teach by the sea. A very large crowd
gathered around him so that he got into a boat on the sea and sat down.
And the whole crowd was beside the sea on land.
2
And he taught them at length in parables, and in the course of his
instruction he said to them,
3
"Hear this! A sower went out to sow.
4
And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and the birds came and ate
it up.
5
Other seed fell on rocky ground where it had little soil. It sprang up at
once because the soil was not deep.
6
And when the sun rose, it was scorched and it withered for lack of roots.
7
Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it and
it produced no grain.
8
And some seed fell on rich soil and produced fruit. It came up and grew
and yielded thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold."
9
He added, "Whoever has ears to hear ought to hear."
10
And when he was alone, those present along with the Twelve questioned
him about the parables.
11
He answered them, "The mystery of the kingdom of God has been
granted to you. But to those outside everything comes in parables,
12
so that 'they may look and see but not perceive, and hear and listen but
not understand, in order that they may not be converted and be
forgiven.'"
13
Jesus said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? Then how will
you understand any of the parables?
14
The sower sows the word.
15
These are the ones on the path where the word is sown. As soon as they
hear, Satan comes at once and takes away the word sown in them.
16
And these are the ones sown on rocky ground who, when they hear the
word, receive it at once with joy.
17
But they have no root; they last only for a time. Then when tribulation
or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.
18
Those sown among thorns are another sort. They are the people who
hear the word,
19
but worldly anxiety, the lure of riches, and the craving for other things
intrude and choke the word, and it bears no fruit.
20
But those sown on rich soil are the ones who hear the word and accept
it and bear fruit thirty and sixty and a hundredfold."
21
He said to them, "Is a lamp brought in to be placed under a bushel
basket or under a bed, and not to be placed on a lampstand?
22
For there is nothing hidden except to be made visible; nothing is secret
except to come to light.
23
Anyone who has ears to hear ought to hear."
24
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.
25
To the one who has, more will be given; from the one who has not, even
what he has will be taken away."
26
He said,"This is how it is with the kingdom of God; it is as if a man
were to scatter seed on the land
27
and would sleep and rise night and day and the seed would sprout and
grow, he knows not how.
28
Of its own accord the land yields fruit, first the blade, then the ear, then
the full grain in the ear.
29
And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once, for the harvest
has come."
30
He said, "To what shall we compare the kingdom of God, or what
parable can we use for it?
31
It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground, is the
smallest of all the seeds on the earth.
32
7 But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants
and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the sky can dwell in
its shade."
33
With many such parables he spoke the word to them as they were able
to understand it.
34
Without parables he did not speak to them, but to his own disciples he
explained everything in private.
I Desire God's Forgiveness
Think of Christ's preaching of the Kingdom of God with its call to
forgiveness, as He inaugurated the ministry of mercy, which He
continues to exercise until the end of the world, particularly through
the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
Luke 4
14
Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news of him
spread throughout the whole region.
15
He taught in their synagogues and was praised by all.
16
7 He came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and went according to
his custom into the synagogue on the sabbath day. He stood up to read
17
and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll
and found the passage where it was written:
18
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to
bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to
captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free,
19
and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord."
20
Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down,
and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him.
21
He said to them, "Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your
hearing."
22
And all spoke highly of him and were amazed at the gracious words
that came from his mouth. They also asked, "Isn't this the son of
Joseph?"
23
He said to them, "Surely you will quote me this proverb, 'Physician,
cure yourself,' and say, 'Do here in your native place the things that we
heard were done in Capernaum.'"
24
And he said, "Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own
native place.
Mark 4
1
On another occasion he began to teach by the sea. A very large crowd
gathered around him so that he got into a boat on the sea and sat down.
And the whole crowd was beside the sea on land.
2
And he taught them at length in parables, and in the course of his
instruction he said to them,
3
"Hear this! A sower went out to sow.
4
And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and the birds came and ate
it up.
5
Other seed fell on rocky ground where it had little soil. It sprang up at
once because the soil was not deep.
6
And when the sun rose, it was scorched and it withered for lack of roots.
7
Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it and
it produced no grain.
8
And some seed fell on rich soil and produced fruit. It came up and grew
and yielded thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold."
9
He added, "Whoever has ears to hear ought to hear."
10
And when he was alone, those present along with the Twelve questioned
him about the parables.
11
He answered them, "The mystery of the kingdom of God has been
granted to you. But to those outside everything comes in parables,
12
so that 'they may look and see but not perceive, and hear and listen but
not understand, in order that they may not be converted and be
forgiven.'"
13
Jesus said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? Then how will
you understand any of the parables?
14
The sower sows the word.
15
These are the ones on the path where the word is sown. As soon as they
hear, Satan comes at once and takes away the word sown in them.
16
And these are the ones sown on rocky ground who, when they hear the
word, receive it at once with joy.
17
But they have no root; they last only for a time. Then when tribulation
or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.
18
Those sown among thorns are another sort. They are the people who
hear the word,
19
but worldly anxiety, the lure of riches, and the craving for other things
intrude and choke the word, and it bears no fruit.
20
But those sown on rich soil are the ones who hear the word and accept
it and bear fruit thirty and sixty and a hundredfold."
21
He said to them, "Is a lamp brought in to be placed under a bushel
basket or under a bed, and not to be placed on a lampstand?
22
For there is nothing hidden except to be made visible; nothing is secret
except to come to light.
23
Anyone who has ears to hear ought to hear."
24
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.
25
To the one who has, more will be given; from the one who has not, even
what he has will be taken away."
26
He said,"This is how it is with the kingdom of God; it is as if a man
were to scatter seed on the land
27
and would sleep and rise night and day and the seed would sprout and
grow, he knows not how.
28
Of its own accord the land yields fruit, first the blade, then the ear, then
the full grain in the ear.
29
And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once, for the harvest
has come."
30
He said, "To what shall we compare the kingdom of God, or what
parable can we use for it?
31
It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground, is the
smallest of all the seeds on the earth.
32
7 But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants
and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the sky can dwell in
its shade."
33
With many such parables he spoke the word to them as they were able
to understand it.
34
Without parables he did not speak to them, but to his own disciples he
explained everything in private.
