1st
Reading: Romans 8:18-25
The future we hope for
is already within us, like a seed waiting to flower
I consider that the
suffering of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to
be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing
of the children of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its
own but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation
itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom
of the glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been
groaning in labour pains until now; and not only the creation, but we
ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we
wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved. Now
hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope
for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
Gospel:
Luke 13:18-21
To his listeners Jesus
said, " what is the kingdom of God like? and to what should I compare it?
It is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in the garden; it grew
and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches."
And again he said,
"To what should I compare the kingdom of God? It is like yeast that a
woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened."
MEDITATIONS
AND REFLECTIONS ON THE READINGS
There is a story of a
young man who dreamt that he had walked into a store where an angel was ?"
"anything, you name it," said the angel.
So the young man began
saying, " I would like to order the
following: a democratic government in Chile, an end to all the wars in the
world, a better deal for the marginal nations, the removal of all squatter settlements
in South America...." at this point the angel interrupted and said, "
Excuse me young man, you did not understand me correctly. We don't sell fruits
and finished products in this store, we sell only seeds."
In our today's gospel
Jesus tells us about the parable of the Mustard Seed and of the Yeast. Jesus
says, " what is the Kingdom of God like? It is like a mustard seed that a
person took and planted in the garden." Mustard seed, which the parable
says, is the least among seed and yet grows to become a huge plant that
provides shelter for many birds.
In the Jewish view of
the world, order was identified with holiness and disorder with uncleanness.
Hence there were very strict rules about
what could be planted in a house hold garden. The rabbinical law of diverse kinds
ruled that one could not mix certain plants in the same garden. A mastered plant was forbidden in a household garden
because it was fast spreading and would tend to invade the vegetables. In
stating that this man planted a mustard seed in his garden, the hearers are
alerted to the fact that he was doing something illegal. An unclean image thus
becomes the starting point for Jesus' vision of the kingdom of God in this
parable.
The analogy may be that
the Kingdom of God is ubiquitous, persistently in our presence in the here and
now. Through this parable Jesus is telling us that the Kingdom of God is not a
finished product.
The Kingdom of God starts from dedicated lives of individual
men/women. It comes about through small beginnings like the mustard seed that
needs to be buried in the ground or the yeast that needs to lose itself in the
flour. Jesus seems to be saying that in the realm of God what is very small can
turn out to be very significant.
Even our smallest acts
of kindness can have an impact for good beyond anything we might imagine. Small
initiatives taken in the service of the Lord can create an opening for the Lord
to work powerfully. We can be tempted to think that unless some event within
the church is big and impressive in the eyes of the world it does not count for
much. Yet, the parables in today's gospel suggests that it is the small
actions, the tiny initiatives, what goes unnoticed by most people, that can
become the bearers of the Kingdom of God.
Hakuna maoni:
Chapisha Maoni