6/16/2018

Eleventh Sunday of the Year, B


ELEVENTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR B

Ez 17.22-24; 2 Cor 5.6-10; Mk 4.26-34

We walk by Faith Not by Sight

When we turn to the readings proposed for our meditation this Sunday for some instructions for life, our Lord puts before us in the Gospel passage two “growing” parables.  The first reading and the Gospel passage speak about seeds, the root of all great things, which germinate and grow into great trees with accommodative branches for birds of the air. All that a seed requires is a fertile soil to germinate and to produce abundantly.  A good seed would thus need a good soil; if either is deficient the outcome will be a depreciated harvest. In the parable it is as if man simply sleeps and wakes, day after day and the seeds we sow just sprout and grow of course with God being in control.  

In the first reading, Ezekiel tells us how the Lord God of Israel will send a descendant of King David as His Messiah and the Savior of the world. The Messiah is originating in a royal family (lofty Cedar, David). In the second reading, St. Paul teaches the Corinthian Christians that they are to advance the growth of God’s Kingdom and His rule in their lives by doing His will so that they may be amply rewarded in the final judgment. In the Gospel passage, Jesus compares the growth of the Kingdom of God to the germination of a wheat seed and that of a tiny mustard seed. Both have very small beginnings. The wheat seeds, by gradual but steady growth, give the farmer a bumper crop. In the same way, the life principle in a tiny mustard seed enables it to grow into a large bush. The reign of God in human hearts and the growth of the Church in the world also have small beginnings. But the Source of all life, God the Holy Spirit, gives to both a steady, persistent and gigantic growth, provided we cooperate with His grace.

The first parable on the seed growing secretly and invisibly is about many of us who have not been able to rise to the average level of livelihood because they do not appreciate the fact that great things begin small. Many have the intention of becoming successful men and women but wish to start big.  Often such people experience great setbacks before the first anniversary of their enterprise.  This is not the experience even from the Bible:

Abraham to whom God made the promise of being the father of a great nation came from the then small insignificant city of Ur of the Chaldeans (Gen. 11:28, 15).

Joseph who became a prime minister in the palace of Pharaoh was a prime suspect awaiting death sentence. (Gen. 39.20; 40.41-45).

Moses who later became the instrument of liberation for the people of Israel from Egypt was salvaged from the riverside by the daughter of pharaoh. (Ex. 2.5).

David the youngest of the sons of Jesse was finally chosen and anointed the king of Israel ( I King 16.11-13).  The smallest became the greatest.

Most of the judges and Prophets were men and women of little worth, but the little in them became great and helpful for the entire nation.
Our Lord Jesus Christ came from the small and insignificant town of Nazareth to become the Saviour of the world.  Of course we are familiar with the saying: Can anything good come from Nazareth?”. (Jn 1.46). 

These are not the only biblical examples of individuals  who made it in life starting small.  All these challenge those of us who, because of the setbacks, problems and obstacles in life, think that God is doing nothing in the world to look more closely.   God is still very much active in our world and He is still in control, leading the world to its appointed purpose, the time of harvest.

The Lord likened the Kingdom to a mustard seed which, though small, grows to become a great tree with comfort rooms for the birds of the air.  From the first reading and the Gospel passage we discover that the seed and the twig are at first small, tender and vulnerable. They could at most be neglected.  The power is not actually physical, hence it lies within them and they begin to manifest their potentials when they are planted on a receptive soil. In the prophecy of Ezekiel in the first reading, God promised that He will take a twig from the cedar tree and plant it on the mountain and it shall grow, bear fruits and be a place of comfort for the birds of the air.

The parable also challenges those of us who expect God to intervene in our lives with immediate flashes of lightning and thunder to realize that God does not often act in such sensational ways.  People who want God to act with visible immediacy are like Elijah on Mount Horeb, who expected to experience God in a hurricane, in an earthquake and in fire (I Kg 19.11-12), only to be disappointed.  He was finally able to experience God in the still small voice – God is not sensational.

The passage is a call to us all to be patient, even in an apparent lack of progress. Very often we wonder how, despite all efforts we are putting into life, we are not yet saints; we wonder how in spite of all the effort we still are far from being “as perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect (Mt 5.48). The passage assures us that so long as we abide in God, the seed of faith sown in us will continue to grow and bear abundant fruits for the Harvest. 

In the second parable of the Mustard seed, Jesus compares the reign of God in this world to “a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its branches.” (Mk 26.31-36).

In a sense we are connected with this parabolic seed.  Left alone we are nothing; we are small, fragile, vulnerable and even powerless.  But through Baptism we are united with Christ and it is through this union, as is being planted on a good soil that we grow, mature and become big solid trees.  It is not surprising then for St Paul to say that he can do all things through Christ who gives him strength (Phil 4.13).

This should be a challenge to us who are reluctant to believe and discount the little things we do for God and are negligent in doing the little everyday things we do for the Kingdom of God to grow in the world and through us. As Christians we are expected to bear fruits, we are expected to be charitable and accommodating.  If God has given us increase, we are expected to give others increase.  Some of us are however, unfortunately so sure of failure more than we trust in the power of God to lead us to the next level in life.

It is true that we cannot stop wars, but we can sow seeds of compassion, justice and forgiveness in order to make this world a better place to live in.  We cannot abolish prejudice, but we can be courteous and kind and have genuine respect toward those around us who are “different” from us.  We cannot end crime and political corruption, but we can be honest in all our dealings with fellow human beings. We cannot wipe out poverty, but we can help those in need. If we have patience and hope, eventually the harvest of what we have planted will take its appearance:  Nations will be reconciled; human rights restored; the vulnerable innocent will be protected, the unwanted cared for and the hungry given food. We may not necessarily even see these results in our life time, but the next generation will.

All of these are mustard seeds, little things that God turns into very significant things, small things that in the divine economy become big things. We should stop selling ourselves short, selling ourselves cheaply, and considering ourselves to be of little worth in the big scheme of things.

As we continue with the liturgy of this Sunday, let us continue to model our lives after the mustard seed or more appropriately adopt the mustard seed mentality by our humility, patience, obedience, and love. May we remember and sustain the fact that great things start small.

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