Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

(6/16/2024) Gospel Reading: Mark 4:26-34

 

“What the Kingdom of God Is Like”

 

The seed is the word of God, Christ is the sower.

All who come to him will live forever.

 

From the desk of Fr. Leo Alban Asuncion

     In the early years of baseball, there weren't any reinforced concrete stadiums. There was only a grandstand with a board fence enclosing the outfield. Sometimes the board fence had a knothole in it. Small boys would flock around it to get a free glimpse of the game. A knothole didn't offer a good view of the game, but it was good enough to give an idea of what was going on. Some ballpark fences had several knotholes. There would be one in left field, one in center field and another in right field. By moving from one to the other, you could get different views of the game. 

     The parables of Jesus are a lot like knotholes in a ballpark fence. They give you a glimpse of God's kingdom. Parables don't give you a good view of it, but it's good enough to give you an idea of what the kingdom is like. Take the fourth chapter of St. Mark's Gospel. It contains three different parables about God's kingdom. By moving from one to another, you can get three different views of the kingdom. Interestingly, all three parables are about seeds.          

     The first parable talks about a farmer who planted seed. Some were planted in good soil, some in bad soil. Only the seed in the good soil bore fruit. The second parable which is read in the Gospel this weekend tells how seed grows beneath the soil without the farmer knowing how. It's a mystery to him. The third parable, which is also read in this weekend's Gospel contrasts the tiny seed to the large, beautiful plant that grows from it. The first parable reveals that the kingdom grows in our heart in a marvelous, mysterious way, without our knowing how. The third parable reveals that the tiny seed of the kingdom in our heart will eventually grow into something beautiful.         

     Practically, what does all this mean for us? It means two things. First it means we must trust God. He planted the seed of his kingdom inside us. He understands what's happening in our heart, even if we don't. Second, we need to be patient. Even though God's kingdom doesn't seem to be growing inside us – even though we don't seem to be getting holier – we shouldn't be discouraged. Rather, we should keep on cultivating the seed inside us, especially by praying and by receiving the sacraments.      

     We must trust God and be patient God is trying to grow something special in us – something beautiful, something infinitely more marvelous and complex. If     we trust God and remain patient, things will work out in God's own time and in God’s own way. The day will come when God's kingdom emerges from our heart and grow into something glorious, something we will thank God forever. So, the message in this weekend's readings comes down to this. God planted the seed of his kingdom in our heart at baptism. Our job right now is to nurture it, trustfully and patiently, by praying and by receiving the sacraments.

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Meditation: What can mustard seeds teach us about the kingdom of God? The tiny mustard seed literally grew to be a tree which attracted numerous birds because they loved the little black mustard seed it produced. God's kingdom works in a similar fashion. It starts from the smallest beginnings in the hearts of men and women who are receptive to God's word. And it works unseen and causes a transformation from within. Just as a seed has no power to change itself until it is planted in the ground, so we cannot change our lives to be like God until God gives us the power of his Holy Spirit.

The transforming power of the Word of God
The Lord of the Universe is ever ready to transform us by the power of his Spirit. Are you ready to let God change you by his life-giving Word and Spirit? The kingdom of God produces a transformation in those who receive the new life which Jesus Christ offers. When we yield to the Lord Jesus and allow his word to take root in us, our lives are transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit who dwells within us. Paul the Apostle says, "we have this treasure in earthen vessels, to show that the transcendent power belongs to God and not to us" (2 Corinthians 4:7). Do you believe in the transforming power of the Holy Spirit?

The cross of Jesus is the Tree of Life
Peter Chrysologous (400-450 AD), an early church father, explained how the " tree of the cross" spread its branches throughout the world and grew into a worldwide community of faith offering its fruit to the whole world:

It is up to us to sow this mustard seed in our minds and let it grow within us into a great tree of understanding reaching up to heaven and elevating all our faculties; then it will spread out branches of knowledge, the pungent savor of its fruit will make our mouths burn, its fiery kernel will kindle a blaze within us inflaming our hearts, and the taste of it will dispel our unenlightened repugnance. Yes, it is true: a mustard seed is indeed an image of the kingdom of God. Christ is the kingdom of heaven. Sown like a mustard seed in the garden of the virgin's womb, he grew up into the tree of the cross whose branches stretch across the world. Crushed in the mortar of the passion, its fruit has produced seasoning enough for the flavoring and preservation of every living creature with which it comes in contact. As long as a mustard seed remains intact, its properties lie dormant; but when it is crushed they are exceedingly evident. So it was with Christ; he chose to have his body crushed, because he would not have his power concealed....

Christ became all things in order to restore all of us in himself. The man Christ received the mustard seed which represents the kingdom of God; as man he received it, though as God he had always possessed it. He sowed it in his garden, that is in his bride, the Church. The Church is a garden extending over the whole world, tilled by the plough of the gospel, fenced in by stakes of doctrine and discipline, cleared of every harmful weed by the labor of the apostles, fragrant and lovely with perennial flowers: virgins' lilies and martyrs' roses set amid the pleasant verdure of all who bear witness to Christ and the tender plants of all who have faith in him. Such then is the mustard seed which Christ sowed in his garden. When he promised a kingdom to the patriarchs, the seed took root in them; with the prophets it sprang up; with the apostles it grew tall; in the Church it became a great tree putting forth innumerable branches laden with gifts. And now you too must take the wings of the psalmist's dove, gleaming gold in the rays of divine sunlight, and fly to rest for ever among those sturdy, fruitful branches. No snares are set to trap you there; fly off, then, with confidence and dwell securely in its shelter. (SERMON 98)

Do you allow the seed of God's word to take deep root in your life and transform you into a fruit-bearing disciple of Jesus Christ?

Lord Jesus, fill me with your Holy Spirit and transform me into the Christ-like holiness you desire. Increase my zeal for your kingdom and instill in me a holy desire to live for your greater glory.

   read more at: http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org

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