Fr Paul Gooley reads from the Gospel of Mark (4: 21-25) in which Jesus shares the parables of the lamp and the measure.

Fr Paul says this Gospel reading consists of two parables and their commentaries.

In the parable of the lamp, we should picture a flickering oil-lamp being carried in, perhaps a single wick floating in a saucer of olive-oil. It could be put under a bed or an up-turned bowl without causing a fire, but the point is to produce some light. If there is a lamp its purpose is to bring light. Jesus must be referring to his message. The explanation following suggests that the time for full revelation has not yet come.

Jesus was aware that his message, his conception of the Kingdom of God, was so far from the popular notion that it could not be understood immediately. Again and again, he teaches that they cannot fully understand what form his messiahship will take until he has suffered and risen from the dead. The purpose of his imagery is to disclose gently, as they are ready to understand. Then, eventually, all will be clear.

The second parable, the measure, is more akin to the Golden Rule, ‘Do not do to another what you would not want to be done to yourself’. The explanation may mean that, if you have enough goodwill to understand that, you will make progress. If not, there is no hope.

Mindful of today’s Gospel, Fr Paul invites us to ask ourselves, ‘Does Christ shine in my life by how I live?’ and, secondly, ‘How do I treat others in my life?’