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Forming those who form others

Catechesis on the Parables of Jesus: The Lamp

Msgr. Paul J. Watson

In Mary, we see how the parable of the lamp is completely fulfilled.

The Parable of the Lamp is found in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke (Matthew 5:14-16, Mark 4:21-23 and Luke 8:16-18, 11:33-36). Do read these passages before the article that follows!

The parable is connected with Jesus’ initial teaching and the call to the disciples to transmit that teaching to others. Mark and Luke situate the parable immediately following the parable of the Sower, while Matthew locates it within the Sermon on the Mount rather than the discourse on the parables.

By placing the parable of the lamp after the parable of the Sower, Mark and Luke are clearly interpreting it as the consequence of hearing the word of God fruitfully. If the word of God has been received in such a way as to bear fruit – sixty, eighty, even a hundredfold, then it is so that the disciple can be a light for others. It is a remarkable thought that once a person has received the light of revelation, has heard and welcomed the word of God into his or her life, then he or she becomes a sort of secondary source of light, of revelation.

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Msgr. Paul J. Watson is the Director Emeritus of Maryvale Institute, where he teaches Scripture, spirituality and catechesis. Ordained January 12, 1974, he has served as pastor for many parishes. He was awarded an S.T.L. Summa Cum Laude (Spirituality) from Gregorian University in Rome, and has written a course book for Maryvale’s BA in Applied Theology / BA Divinity on the “Church’s Developing Vision of Catechesis” as well as a course book on "The Christian Tradition of Spiritual Formation" for the MA in Religious and Educational Studies. Msgr. Paul jointly launched, and regularly contributes to, a monthly magazine Bible Alive of Scriptural catechesis and personal spirituality. 

This article is from The Sower and may be copied for catechetical purposes only. It may not be reprinted in another published work without the permission of Maryvale Institute. Contact [email protected]

Categorized Under
Categorized Under: 
Scriptural Catechesis
Issue: 
30.2

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