Daily Gospel Reflection
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February 1, 2019
Jesus said to the crowds:
“This is how it is with the Kingdom of God;
it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land
and would sleep and rise night and day
and the seed would sprout and grow,
he knows not how.
Of its own accord the land yields fruit,
first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.
And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once,
for the harvest has come.”
He said,
“To what shall we compare the Kingdom of God,
or what parable can we use for it?
It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground,
is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth.
But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants
and puts forth large branches,
so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade.”
With many such parables
he spoke the word to them as they were able to understand it.
Without parables he did not speak to them,
but to his own disciples he explained everything in private.
As I reflect on these parables from the Gospel of Mark, I am drawn to two parallel images. The first image compares God to the farmer rising each morning with well-intentioned, diligent efforts to prepare his soil so that the crops he plants may grow into rich abundance. In similar fashion, God created us—“sowed” us—and cares for us.
The second parallel is between the mustard seed and each one of us. As Jesus attests, the mustard seed is the “smallest of all seeds on earth” yet it is innately strong. Like the mustard seed, we are “small.” But, like that tiny seed, we are completely whole. God created each of us as inherently good, with absolutely all that we need to grow into the person he has designed us to be.
We cannot thrive in infertile soil or without proper nourishment. Yet many of us, on this journey through life, encounter infertile soils—dryness and barrenness, challenges and shortcomings. As a mother raising three children, a wife working to maintain a committed relationship, a daughter of aging parents, and a friend who has buried loved ones, I can attest to the fact that at times my soil has been depleted. In those moments, God has provided the needed nourishment. God continues to help me move from challenge through change to new growth through the people and events of my life.
Growth for any seed happens in stages. It is important to be reminded that, just as the farmer does not give up on his fields, so, too, God never gives up on us. With that sure hope, we can stand strong, grow deep roots and thrive with the faith that God provides for all that we need.
Prayer
O God, help us grow in holiness and peace. Without your heavenly nourishment, we are bound to wilt and wither. With the aid your Son’s example, we shall grow a hundred fold in all that enriches your kingdom, now and forever. We ask this in Jesus name. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Brigid was one of the greatest leaders and evangelists Ireland has known.
She was born in 453 near Dundalk, Ireland, and her parents were baptized by St. Patrick—she grew up hearing the great saint preach.
Her father was an Irish chieftain and her mother was a slave in his court. Brigid had a tender heart and could not bear to see others go hungry or cold, and she would often help them by giving away things that belonged to her father. When he protested, she replied, “Christ dwells in every creature.”
Unconvinced, he tried to sell her to another nobleman. While they bargained, she took her father’s treasured sword and gave it to a leper. Her father was so angry, he was about to strike her when she explained that she gave the sword to God through the leper. The nobleman was a Christian and Brigid’s action impressed him—he prevented her father from striking her. Her father had had enough and gave Brigid her freedom.
Brigid’s mother was in charge of the dairy of the kingdom but was aging. Brigid took over responsibility for the work there (hence her patronage of dairy workers), but often gave away what they produced. Nevertheless, the dairy prospered and her mother was freed as well.
A marriage was arranged for her, but she refused and went to her bishop to promise her life to God. She went on to found convents all over Ireland that became centers of learning and spirituality. She took on the authority of an abbot with them and traveled extensively across the island, even in the poor transportation conditions of the time, which led to her patronage of travelers.
Her relics rest in the reliquary chapel of the Basilica, and she is depicted in stained glass in the Dillon Hall chapel. The chapel in McGlinn Hall is named after her, and a statue of her stands there. With St. Patrick, she is a patron of Ireland.
In 2009, the Notre Dame Folk Choir established an initiative that continues to serve the Church in Ireland, called the House of Brigid, or Teach Bhride in Irish. The program invites recent college graduates to live as an intentional lay community for one year, dedicating themselves to the service of the Catholic Church in Ireland and to spiritual and personal formation.
St. Brigid of Kildare, patron saint of Ireland who saw God in all creatures—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Brigid of Kildare is in the public domain. Last accessed January 30, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
