Gospel Mk 4:26-34
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 speak to them, but to his own disciples he explained everything in private.
Homily
“If you do not read you will forever be ignorant” That saying has remained with me throughout my years and has had an effect not only in my own private life but also in my teaching career. I ask that students in my classes read a lot. All of us I am sure has similar experiences of parents or teaches dropping little sayings which have remained with us and which over the years have continued to influence our lives in many ways. These sayings as insignificant as they may seem have made us and continue to make us into better people.
The Gospel reading for this weekend speaks to us about the Kingdom and certainty of its coming because its growth is so imperceptible that we may believe that it is not being realized. After the upsurge registered in homicides in our land, after all the allegations of corruption, we ask ourselves, “How much longer Lord?” The answer lies in this Gospel text, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed upon the ground, and should sleep and rise night and day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he knows not how the earth produces of itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.” We are being told that we have to scatter the seed and the increase will come, imperceptibly but come it will.
This is why the opening story of this homily is so important. The words thrown our way when we were young have born fruit in so many ways. Good words have influenced our lives and continue to influence our lives and the lives of others for good. How many students have let the words given to me, and which I have passed on to them, influence their lives for good. In the same way I am also sure, words spoken in anger, in hate, in vengeance also influence lives but unfortunately not for good, and so the growth of the Kingdom is impeded.
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How important then are the words we speak, the advice which we give for the growth of God’skingdomofJustice, peace love and harmony.St. Paultells us that the life and death of every person has an effect on others. Since in a very special way, we are all architects of the kingdom, how important it is for us to understand that we have the responsibility of ensuring that the good seed of God’s word grows slowly but surely in the hearts of those around us.
This Gospel passage then is one which gives us great hope. Things will not remain the way they are if we play our part in ensuring that the good seed of God’s word is planted in the hearts of all those whom we meet, our family, friends and acquaintances. Let us pray that the Holy Spirit prepare hearts to receive the Word so that it does not fall on rocky ground, or among thorns, but on good soil, so that the seed may germinate and bear fruit, some thirty, some sixty, some a hundredfold so that God’s Kingdom may be built amongst us.
Today we thank God for parents and teachers, who out of the fullness of their hearts have spoken good words to us, words that have remained with us over the years and made us into better people. As the Kingdom has grown in us so has it grown in the world. We remember however our own responsibility to plant God’s word, the good seed so that it may grow, at its own pace, and produce a harvest of Kingdom values in those who receive it.
Prayer
All powerful and ever-loving God, we thank you today for your teaching on the kingdom. We thank you for helping us to understand that the Kingdom does not require from us great and mighty works but only the planting of your word in the hearts of those around us. Help us not to be discouraged by the slowness of the growth of the Kingdom, help us to understand that it will come, in spite of all the evil that goes on around us, because you Lord, ensures its growth. We ask this through the intercession of Mary our mother and your Son Jesus. Amen
