The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed

Eleventh Sunday of the Ordinary Time (Yr B)

Collect

O God, strength of those who hope in you, graciously hear our pleas, and, since without you mortal frailty can do nothing, grant us always the help of your grace, that in following your commands we may please you by our resolve and our deeds. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Ez 17:22-24

I have lifted high the lowly tree.

A reading from the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel

Thus says the Lord GOD:
   I, too, will take from the crest of the cedar,
   from its topmost branches tear off a tender shoot,
and plant it on a high and lofty mountain;
   on the mountain heights of Israel I will plant it.
It shall put forth branches and bear fruit,
   and become a majestic cedar.
Birds of every kind shall dwell beneath it,
   every winged thing in the shade of its boughs.
And all the trees of the field shall know
   that I, the LORD,
bring low the high tree,
   lift high the lowly tree,
wither up the green tree,
   and make the withered tree bloom.
As I, the LORD, have spoken, so will I do.

The word of the Lord.

Ps 92:2-3, 13-14, 15-16

R. :

℟. (cf 2a) Lord, it is good to give thanks to you.

It is good to give thanks to the LORD,
   to sing praise to your name, Most High,
to proclaim your kindness at dawn
   and your faithfulness throughout the night.

℟. Lord, it is good to give thanks to you.

The just one shall flourish like the palm tree,
   like a cedar of Lebanon shall he grow.
They that are planted in the house of the LORD
   shall flourish in the courts of our God.

℟. Lord, it is good to give thanks to you.

They shall bear fruit even in old age;
   vigorous and sturdy shall they be,
declaring how just is the LORD,
   my rock, in whom there is no wrong.

℟. Lord, it is good to give thanks to you.

2 Cor 5:6-10

Whether we are at home or away, we aspire to please the Lord.

A reading from the second Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians

Brothers and sisters:
We are always courageous,
   although we know that while we are at home in the body
   we are away from the Lord,
   for we walk by faith, not by sight.
Yet we are courageous,
   and we would rather leave the body and go home to the Lord.
Therefore, we aspire to please him,
   whether we are at home or away.
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ,
   so that each one may receive recompense,
   according to what he did in the body, whether good or evil.

The word of the Lord.

Acclamation before the Gospel

℟. Alleluia, alleluia.

The seed is the word of God, Christ is the word.
All who come to him shall live for ever.
℟. Alleluia, alleluia.

Mk 4:26-35

It is the smallest of all seeds, and becomes the largest of plants.

✠ A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark

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.

At the end of the Gospel, the Deacon, or the Priest, acclaims:

The Gospel of the Lord.

All reply:

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Reflection

In this account, Christ uses a parable to describe the Kingdom of God. He begins with speaking about a man scattering seed on the ground.

Although he is not always present, the seeds sprout, and produce their yield. All this happens secretly in darkness.

Then Christ describes the Kingdom of God through one of the most popular parables, that of the mustard seed. From one of the smallest seeds, a very large tree grows, so much so that even the birds find shelter under its branches.

What is the message that Christ wants to teach us? Every beginning starts from something small. Looking at a tiny seed, combined with human effort it reaches its purpose by growing into a tree or as produce. Many times, human effort does not produce immediate results. However, the process of growth has already begun even though it is not seen by human eyes.

This also applies to the Kingdom of God. God is present in our lives; he is not detached from our lives. He is active in the lives of people. It is also good to remember the beginning of our salvation through the Incarnation; God made Himself small so that He could be part of our lives. We hardly know anything about Jesus’ first thirty years on earth apart from his birth and the last three years of his public life. But we must also remember that in this silence He was preparing Himself for His public life to announce and accomplish the Kingdom of God on earth. Later, the Kingdom of God continued to grow through the breath that the Holy Spirit breathed upon the disciples, this despite their imperfections and the challenges they were faced with.

The apparent failure of results even in our spiritual lives can also be an obstacle to us which may make us give up. However, we must remember that these parables taught to us by Christ (as was explained at the end of the account) show us that, apart from the message, these parables also convey to us facts. As nature takes time to reach its fullness, so does the Kingdom of God and the spiritual life of people. In a fast-paced result orientated world with immediate visible results, this Gospel offers us a challenge. The Kingdom of God does not come about through human visualisation, but gradually and firmly, as God is accompanying us in this journey to instruct and help us grow little by little. As Pope Francis says, the Kingdom of God that grows is “an expression of the power and goodness of God”.

Prayer

Lord, help me to allow you to reign in my life. Help me to offer you the greatest gift that I can offer, that of my trust. Help me to be a means through which your Kingdom continues to spread. Help me to remember, Lord, that when human history evolves in a way that it goes against your will, to say with Pope Francis, I trust more in your silent but powerful action.

 

Ara l-Qari tal-Ħdud li għaddew