3RD FRIDAY HOMILY OF THE ORDINARY TIME — YEAR A
3RD FRIDAY HOMILY OF THE ORDINARY TIME — YEAR A
HOMILY THEME: UNHINDERED GROWTH OF GOD’S KINGDOM
BY: Fr. Francis Onwunali
Hebrews 10:32-39, Ps 36:3-6,23-24,39-40, Mark 4:26-34
Jesus said to the crowds, “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, lie knows not how. The earth produces, of itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.”
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In the Gospel of today (Mark 4:26-34), we have two parables told by Mark. They are both images of the Kingdom of God, of God’s truth and love spreading among people all over the world. Both of these parables offer words of encouragement to a struggling Church, living in small, scattered communities and surrounded by hostile elements ready to destroy it. We today still need to have trust and confidence in the power of the Kingdom to survive and spread despite the hostility we encounter in today’s society.
In these parables, Jesus tells us about how unnoticeable our growth in the Christian life can be. We have so much relied on the mechanical element of life; we wake up, go about our activities, and return home. The next day, we repeat the same process. We get used to it and conclude that life is fixed and guaranteed. No gratitude to the One who fuels our souls. How the seed grows without our knowledge is completely neglected.
Jesus reminds us we can not short circuit God’s timing. Humbling as it may be, God has only commissioned us to sow the seed by sharing our knowledge of Jesus with other people. The results, the harvest of new souls and transformed lives, are the works of God, mysterious, momentous, and miraculous. We can take ourselves too seriously and function as if all depends on us or go to the other extreme and feel we have little to contribute. We are called beyond those extremes to give attention to the gift of God and the quiet growth of the Kingdom from insignificant beginnings.
Change comes slowly, but it does bear fruit in due time. It carries a lesson in faith and humility. The environment and conditions are important. We are to cooperate with the gift of God. Our role in life is to sow seeds and not to be preoccupied with producing a harvest. The seed given us is the word of God that serves to bring about a Kingdom of justice, love, and peace. We have a contribution to make, small though it may seem. We have to begin somewhere, perhaps with a small initiative.
Seeds are small and vulnerable but can sprout and grow even in tough times. Seeds are a good image for a mysterious reality whose growth occurs without our instigation and often without our knowledge. The smallness of the mustard seed, characterized as the smallest of all seeds, is contrasted with the size of the final tree. While it has small beginnings, the results are surprising. Jesus’ parables call his audience to expect the in-breaking of God’s reign into our ordinary daily lives. They also call us to remember that the kingdom of God has its own time and rate of growth.
We 21st-century types want our lives to be full of successes and significance. Jesus calls on us to have more patience with and respect for failure, hiddenness, and insignificance. For they can point beyond themselves toward the reality of the kingdom of God already in our midst. GOD IS STILL ON THE THRONE. May God bless you and your household always through Christ, our Lord Amen.
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