Gospel Reflection the 11th. Sunday of Ordinary Time

17th. June – The Kingdom of God is a like a small seed…

When Jesus spoke to people, he spoke to them in a way and language that they understood. He spoke to them about the natural world that they lived in. He told them that the kingdom was like a woman baking bread. He spoke to them about farming and harvests. He talked about fishing, water, light, wine, vineyards, shepherds, sheep and all the things they saw and used in their ordinary daily lives. In the gospel this Sunday Jesus says that the Kingdom of God is like seeds being sowed; especially the mustard seed. The Kingdom of God does float down to us or miraculously or appear out of now where. It comes through the events of our ordinary daily lives and actions that we know so well.

Farming for a living or even growing seeds and plants in our small gardens can take a lot of hard work and requires a lot of faith. The ground is cleared and prepared. The seeds are sown and then the long waiting and watching begins. And, as the farmer sleeps the seed begins to change and eventually the earth produces new plants and crops.  Farmers only sow the seeds, they don’t make them grow. But seeds have to be sown by us if we want crops to grow. Jesus is asking us to have the faith and patience of the farmer. We are called to plant the seeds of faith, hope, forgiveness, justice and peace as followers of Jesus. We are called to plant the ‘seeds’ of the gospel message that we each of us have, wherever and whenever we can. We need to believe and have faith that in God’s own time, not ours, the seeds will become a fruitful harvest in and for God’s Kingdom. These fruits will be seen in the quality of our daily lives. Jesus asks us to bear fruit, and fruit that will last.

In the second part of the gospel, Jesus goes further and uses the mustard seed as an example of the Kingdom of God. This is a tiny, almost impossible to see little seed. Yet, when it is sown, watered and cared for, it grows into the greatest of all trees where even the birds of the air will find shelter and protection.

 What are we to make of this? Jesus is asking us to be careful that we do not dismiss even our smallest acts of love, kindness, forgiveness or compassion. Great things can happen because of our smallest and seemingly insignificant words or actions. Our small acts of kindness can make great difference to someone.  We need to remember that what we say, do and how we treat each other can either tear a person down or build them up. We are all ‘mustard seeds’, each of us having within ourselves the ability to accomplish great things for God’s Kingdom. The ‘mustard seed’ that Jesus calls us to be aware of is that ‘divine spark’ of God that we each have within us. This enables each of us to contribute to the living and spreading the good news of the gospel, no matter how small our efforts may seem. This ‘mustard seed’ faith tells us that even the smallest acts of compassion can spread further and wider than we could ever imagine or dream of.

Michael Moore OMI