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Diocese of Phnom Penh - Article #449
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Welcoming time Posted: 5th June 2007
Proposed steps for a sharing on the Gospel (about one hour)
Prepare and open our hearts to welcome the Word of God Some hints and questions for the animator of the meeting What is a parable A parable is a story taken from the daily lives of people, it speaks of their work, of the objects that they use everyday (a lamp, leaven, fishing net...), of their dreams (a treasure, pearls...). The parable, as it is simple, speaks to all people. Jesus uses it to tell important things about God. What this parable tells us on the life, there are 2000 years, in the country of Jesus In Galilee, a number of persons live from work in the fields like our sower. The soil in Galilee is far from being fertile: there is good soil, but also dry areas where nothing grows and areas full of shrubs... Formerly, people were sowing by hands and the grains were falling in different places... This parable tells us also that Jesus knows how to observe what is happening around him and that he is interested in the work of others. 1. What this parable tells us about God, about Jesus and about us a. God In the Old Testament, Jews often compared God to a sower: he sows his spirit, his breath, his word... God is the Great Sower, the one sowing with abundance, without computing, without looking where the grain is falling! He is the one sowing with generosity (like the sower of the parable scattering the grain by hands). And what is God sowing? God sows his love in all directions, on all soils, on all human soils. b. Jesus In the parable, Jesus tells us about different soils: hard like a road, cracked like the stony soils, dense, occupied like soils covered with briers; or good and favorable to development like the good soil... The soil is the heart of man, sometimes hard as cement, sometimes tender and permeable... Jesus is the good soil, a soil which welcomes Love and which allows it to grow, to develop, to fructify; the soil that will bring forth grains capable of nourishing people. c. Us And us? How is our soil? Do we welcome the gifts of God, do we allow our soil to receive the gifts of God, to make them bloom, to develop and to overflow? Do we accept to let love grow in us? How do we welcome the Word in our lives? Are we like Jesus? 2. Re-reading or revision Here is a small chart which will help the animator to re-read the experiences of the group: How is our soil? Do we welcome the gifts of God, do we allow our soil to receive the gifts of God, to make them bloom, to develop and to overflow? Do we accept to let love grow in us? Our heart is alternatively hard like a road, cracked like the stony soils; dense, occupied like soils covered with briers; or good and favorable to development like a good soil. But there is always hope, because God sows without tiring! When Jesus narrates a parable, he wants to captivate the attention ofthose listening (Listen! the first word of the story) because he will say something important about God, something that he himself has experienced in his intimacy, in his depth with God. And what does Jesus tell us about God in this parable? Jesus tells us that God is generous, generous without bonds! His love, he gives it, he sows it, he spares it to cover people, all people, whoever they may be. . . Try to narrate a parable starting from your own personal experience that says something about God, about Jesus...! Do notforget to send some of these parables to the bishop house. Thanks. Article Source: Bishops's House |