Daily Gospel Reflection
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June 16, 2024
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 through it all 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 talk to them,
but to his own disciples he explained everything in private.
Thirty-four years ago today, a mustard seed was planted in my life when I wed my wife, Kim. Like the seed’s gradual and sometimes difficult journey to a full-grown tree, our marriage has grown and weathered storms like years of infertility, a failed adoption attempt, and prolonged unemployment/underemployment. Yet God’s blessings abound, and our marriage has produced fruit and matured to have a solid base and root structure, like raising our two adopted children, who are now amazing grown adults.
Our faith journeys can take similar paths. Seeds are planted in us at our baptism, confirmation, and every time we receive the Eucharist. Like seeds, our faith needs time to come to fruition. It must be nourished, exposed to the life-giving light of God’s word), nurtured, pruned, and guided. As Christians, we are called to strive to be more like Christ in each passing moment of our lives. Like the mustard seed’s growth, our efforts to do so will ebb and flow through peaks and valleys.
What’s important is that we keep on the journey, striving to get closer to God by being more Christ-like today than we were yesterday, last week, or last year. Never give up. Like the tree’s imperceptible growth, this journey can have minuscule steps. Mother Teresa once said, “We know only too well that what we are doing is nothing more than a drop in the ocean. But if the drop were not there, the ocean would be missing something.” Every contribution, no matter how small, is valuable and necessary.
Prayer
O God, help us grow in holiness and peace. Without your heavenly nourishment, we are bound to wilt and wither. With the aid of your Son’s example, we shall grow a hundredfold in all that enriches your kingdom, now and forever. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.