First Reading

Reading from the second book of Samuel

2 Samuel 7:4-17

In those days, the Lord spoke to the prophet Nathan and said: «Go and tell my servant David that the Lord says this to him: ‘Do you think you are the one to build me a house for me to dwell in? From the time I brought Israel out of Egypt until the present, I have had no house, but I have been going about in a tent, wherever the children of Israel have gone. Did I ever say to any of the judges, whom I appointed as shepherds over my people Israel, «Build me a house of cedar»?’

Therefore, say to my servant David: ‘I took you from the sheepfolds and from following the sheep to be ruler over my people Israel. I have been with you wherever you went, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. And I will make you famous like the great ones of the earth.

I will assign a place for my people Israel and will plant them there so that they may dwell in their own place. They shall no longer be disturbed, nor shall the children of wickedness oppress them anymore, as at the beginning, when I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, I, the Lord, declare to you that I will make you a house; and when your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commits iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, but I will not take my mercy from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me; your throne shall be established forever’ «.

Nathan spoke to David all these words, as the Lord had revealed them to him.

Gospel

Reading from the holy Gospel according to Saint Mark 

Mark 4:1-20

At that time, Jesus began to teach again by the lake, and a very large crowd gathered around him. So he got into a boat and sat in it on the lake, while the whole crowd was beside the lake on the land. He taught them many things in parables, and in his teaching 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 seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and it sprang up quickly, since it had no depth of soil. And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. And other seeds fell into good soil and produced 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 around him with the Twelve asked him about 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, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn 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, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them.

And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones 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, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.

But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.»