Ezekiel 17:22-24/ Psalm 92/ 2Corinthians 5:6-10/ Mark 4:26-34
Theme: God’s Power Brings Growth
The power of God, which is beyond any human power, is prominently present in the biblical texts for this Sunday.
The first reading brings out vividly the unfathomable power of God. Nebuchadnezzar, the most powerful man on earth in his time, had cut a shoot from the top of a cedar, a symbol of Israel, and transplanted it in Babylon; but God who is more powerful than Nebuchadnezzar, in due course, takes that shoot and transports it to Mount Zion to plant it on the crest of the city to become a tree in which all peoples can take refuge. It is clear that God’s power shines forth in a unique way in the face of the imposing power of men. The people of Israel, exiled in Babylon, will return to Jerusalem, to Mount Zion, where all the peoples of the earth will find shelter.
The gospel reading focuses on the fact that “The Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed ….” The parables say nothing about human action. It is not that they deny it, but it is immaterial to Jesus in expounding his message. Christ is interested in underlining the powerful action of God in building his Kingdom in the world. The sower is God, not man. It is God who makes the seed grow (seed, stem, ear, grain), not man. The angels of God collect the grain, not man. Jesus wants to make clear to us that the entire process of building the Kingdom among men, in history, is especially God´s work.
When we look at the world today, what immediately appears before our eyes is the power of men. Today, political power that should be used for the good of all citizens, is the cause of pressure, corruption, despotism and the like. There is legislative power that subjects people to unjust laws, or go in favour of powerful minorities. There is economic power, able sometimes to manipulate people, families, institutions and even governments, for the benefit of a few.
Today each and every Christian needs to be a transmitter of the faith, a missionary who preaches the central mystery of our faith. The way God orders human powers for the service of mankind is through the power of his love. We must imitate that love as we are called to be like that mustard seed that grows into a huge shrub that the many will see our life and run to the source of life. The following are three moral lessons for our reflection and edification in the face of difficulties and objections leading to the building of the kingdom.
First, the building of the kingdom is nothing less than bringing God’s love closer to creation. Second, each of us is called to carry out the activities of building the kingdom as part of a community. This community is this Church. We are not just a bundle of individuals who happen to share a view of the universe; we are one people bonded together as the body of Christ. The mission can be accomplished when we are united. Third, we are people who are called to live by faith, act with love, and walk with hope. Hope is living with the ‘not yet,’ the apparent incompleteness of what we do, the energy to get up again after we have experienced frustration.
In conclusion, the unique message of Jesus is summed up by his use of the phrase kingdom of God as expressed in his parables. Parables offer both comfort and a challenge. Today’s parables stress that we must not fret or worry but rather trust that the kingdom will come because God wants it to. They are an invitation to take time to consider how the plan of God unfolds around us in ways that are both surprising and sure. We are invited to appreciate deeply the kingdom of God as a present reality and a future reality; in which the latter is dependent on the former.