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Spiritual Resources Seven Day Rosary - The first mystery of the Parables In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus teaches us to respond to the word of God Our Lord and Savior comes to each one of us, asking for our response and pointing out the common things that hinder that response. It is food for an examination of conscience. If I say I believe but I am not being fruitful in his service, is it because I have not truly taken his message to heart? Is it because I have no deep spiritual roots? Or is it because I have let the pursuit of money and other worldly cares preoccupy me? And if I am already serving God, how can I do better? We pray to be fruitful in his service.
1. "Behold, the sower went out to sow, and some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up.
2. "Other seeds fell on rocky ground, and they sprang up at once because they had no depth of soil, but they withered away in the heat of the sun because they had no roots.
3. "Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 4. "And other seeds fell upon good ground and yielded fruit, some a hundred-fold, some sixty, and some thirty-fold."
5. "When anyone hears the word of the kingdom but does not take it to heart, the evil one snatches away what was sown in his heart; this is the seed sown on the path.
6. "The seed sown on rocky ground-that is he who receives the word right away with joy.
7. "But he has no root; he lasts for a while, but when trouble and persecution come because of the word, he quickly falls away.
8. "The seed sown among thorns-that is he who listens to the word; but the cares of this world and the deceit of money choke the word, and he is fruitless.
9. "The one sown upon good ground-that is he who hears the word and takes it to heart;
10. "He bears fruit and yields in one case a hundred-fold, in another sixty-fold or thirty-fold."
Reference: Matthew 13:1-23 The second mystery of the Parable The lawyer had just been praised by Our Lord for his proper answer about what must be done to inherit eternal life. "You shall love the Lord thy God with all your heart and with your whole soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself." That prompted his question: "And who is my neighbor?" The answer of Jesus is universal. My neighbor is the person who needs my help. The test of love is my response here and now to the unexpected need for help and care. We pray to be compassionate to those in need.
1. A lawyer, seeking to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" 2. Jesus answered, "A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho. 3. "And he was attacked by robbers who beat him and left him half dead.
4. "A priest went down the same way, and when he saw him, he passed by. So also a Levite who saw him and passed by.
5. "But a Samaritan who traveled that road saw him and was moved with compassion.
6. "He went up to him and bound up his wounds, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
7. "The next day he paid the innkeeper to care for him and said, 'Whatever more you spend, I will repay you on my way back.' 8. "Which of these three, in your opinion, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?"
9. He said, "He who took pity on him."
Hail Mary
10. And Jesus said to him, "Go and act in like manner."
Reference: Luke 10:25-37 The third mystery of the Parables He has given us Most of us do not regard ourselves as being among the world's highly talented. Therefore, we would like to tell ourselves that we can let others who are more gifted do what is needed for building up the kingdom of God. In this parable, however, Jesus teaches that each one of us, no matter how small in the eyes of the world, has some gift to use in building up his kingdom. Feeding the hungry, visiting the sick, volunteering our time, being thankful for help received, offering suffering as a prayer for others-all of these are talents to use in God's service. We pray that we will use our abilities to build up the kingdom of God.
1. "The kingdom of heaven is like a man going on a long trip, leaving his goods in the care of his servants.
2. "To one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his ability."
3. "He who had the five put them to work and gained five more.
4. "He who had the two put them to work and gained two more.
5. "But he who had the one talent hid his master's money in the ground.
6. "When the master finally returned, he called for an accounting of their stewardship." 7. "To him who gained five talents, he said, 'Well done, good and faithful servant;
8. " 'Because you were faithful over a few things, I will set you over much; enter the joy of your master.' " 9. "The servant with the one talent said: 'I was afraid, so I hid your talent; here it is, unused.'
10. "The master said, 'Cast out this lazy servant into the darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' "
Reference: Matthew 25:14-30 The fourth mystery of the Parables The gospel of Luke shows that a major theme in the teaching of Jesus is the danger of seeking after wealth. In this parable, the man has achieved wealth and is satisfied to take it easy, eat, drink, and be merry. But God calls him a fool, for those things will be of no value when he meets his Maker. Our Lord teaches that the antidote to selfishness is generous almsgiving that builds up a treasure in heaven. Money is a talent to be used in the service of God and our fellow man. We pray for generosity in almsgiving.
l. [Jesus taught them:] "Take heed and beware of all greed, for a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." 2. He told them this parable: "The land of a rich man yielded rich harvests.
3. "And the man thought to himself, 'What shall I do since I have no room to store my crops?
4. " 'This is what I will do: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones to store all my goods.
5. " 'And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have many good things laid up for many years; take it easy, eat, drink, and be merry.'
6. "But God said to him, 'You fool! This night your soul is required of you. Those things that you have stored up, whose will they be?'
7. "So is he who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God."
8. "Do not seek what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; your Father knows that you need these things. 9. "But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be given you besides. Do not be afraid; sell what you have and give alms.
10. "Make yourselves purses that do not grow old, an unfailing treasure in heaven. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." References: Luke 12:15-34; see also Matthew 6:19-34. The fifth mystery of the Parables This Scripture gives hope to all of us. Like the parable of the Good Shepherd, the parable of the Prodigal Son teaches about God's desire to forgive sin and to embrace the sinner. Jesus also gives us some challenges. In order to receive God's forgiveness, I must first accuse myself of my sins. I must also undergo a change of heart, put aside my sins, and I must firmly resolve to walk the narrow way with the Lord. Finally, I must accept God's mercy on others, even public sinners. The parable of the prodigal son gives us firm hope and real challenges. We pray for the conversion of sinners including ourselves.
1. [Jesus told them this parable:] "A certain man had two sons, and the younger son asked for his inheritance." 2. "When he received it, he soon left for a far country where he squandered his fortune in loose living.
3. "After he spent everything, a great famine came over that country, and he began to suffer."
4. "Finding a job on a farm, he longed to eat what he fed the pigs, but no one gave him anything.
5. "Coming to his senses, he told himself, 'How many hired men in my father's house have plenty of bread to eat while I am starving here? 6. " 'I will go to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and you;
7. " 'I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me as one of your hired men.' "
8. "When his father saw him coming, he was filled with compassion and ran to embrace him.
9. "And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you.' But the father said, 'Fetch the best robe and prepare a feast;
10. " 'This my son was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and is found.' " Reference: Luke 15:11-32 |
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