Struggle

Jan 27: Friday of the Third Week of Ordinary Time

Jan 27, 2023

Struggling is no fun. Sometimes it’s external, as the early persecuted Church faced, and sometimes it’s our own internal temptations, but we all struggle. In the end, it will be worth the effort.

Reading 1

Heb 10:32-39

Remember the days past when, after you had been enlightened, you endured a great contest of suffering. At times you were publicly exposed to abuse and affliction; at other times you associated yourselves with those so treated. You even joined in the sufferings of those in prison
and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, knowing that you had a better and lasting possession. Therefore, do not throw away your confidence; it will have great recompense. You need endurance to do the will of God and receive what he has promised.

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    For, after just a brief moment,
        he who is to come shall come;
        he shall not delay.
    But my just one shall live by faith,
        and if he draws back I take no pleasure in him.

We are not among those who draw back and perish, but among those who have faith and will possess life.

The author here uses the term “enlightened” in two different ways: in the sense we’d normally interpret it, finding new understanding; and it was an old term for the sacrament of baptism.

Being publicly baptized was basically inviting “abuse and affliction.” Remember at this time, Christians were being persecuted. (Which still continues to this day, in some places.)

If you’re not being persecuted,1 you should be thankful. But you can still look to the early Christians for inspiration and solace. Maintain your faith even in a time of ease, so you can still pray for those around the world who are suffering.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 37:3-4, 5-6, 23-24, 39-40

R.   The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
Trust in the LORD and do good,
   that you may dwell in the land and be fed in security.
Take delight in the LORD,
   and he will grant you your heart’s requests.
R.   The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
Commit to the LORD your way;
   trust in him, and he will act.
He will make justice dawn for you like the light;
   bright as the noonday shall be your vindication.
R.   The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
By the LORD are the steps of a man made firm,
   and he approves his way.
Though he fall, he does not lie prostrate,
   for the hand of the LORD sustains him.
R.   The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.
The salvation of the just is from the LORD;
   he is their refuge in time of distress.
And the LORD helps them and delivers them;
   he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
   because they take refuge in him.
R.   The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.

This Psalm is an answer to the age-old question—

It’s a toughie, for sure, but it’s one theologians2 have been wrestling with since the dawn of time. The answer is generally some variant of "I dunno."

But in this case, the answer is more like, “Wait.” God works on an infinite time scale. We don’t know what will yet come of our current suffering. God also has unlimited knowledge, which means He’s probably smarter than you. There are things which are literally incomprehensible to us, but for God, it’s all part of the plan.

So we must have hope. We also must pray for those suffering, and help in any way that we are able to in our current time and place. After all, you might be part of God’s plan of goodness!

Alleluia

Mt 11:25

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth;
you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Cynical people (who consider themselves “wise”) have harder time believing in God’s plan than the young an innocent. Worth reflecting on the next time you contemplate your struggles.

Gospel

Mk 4:26-34

Jesus said to the crowds: “This is how it is with the Kingdom of God; it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land and would sleep and rise night and day and the seed would sprout and grow, he knows not how. Of its own accord the land yields fruit, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once, for the harvest has come.”

He said, “To what shall we compare the Kingdom of God, or what parable can we use for it?
It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth. 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.”

With many such parables he spoke the word to them as they were able to understand it. Without parables he did not speak to them, but to his own disciples he explained everything in private.

A seed doesn’t become a tree out of nowhere. It has to sprout, push up through the Earth, reach up to the sky. It must struggle in order to become the thing it’s meant to be.

And for a mustard seed, that struggle is worth it. It spreads out to to become the largest plant, just as Jesus wants His Church to spread throughout the world.

We’re the seeds. At the time we’re planted in the wet dirt, we don’t know why it’s so dark and cold. But we know there’s something higher for us to reach towards.