Where are you? This is the question most often asked on cell phones, now that we hardly use landlines anymore! Today we hear three more parables from Jesus about the kingdom. Jesus talked so much about the Kingdom partly because he wanted us to understand clearly where we really are! We are in a landscape of good and evil, like in the first parable, where weeds spring up in a field where good seed was sown. Every human group we belong to is imperfect, even sometimes or in some ways evil. I remember how upset and shocked I was as a young person when I began to see the dark side of the Catholic Church. We can’t make families, businesses, nations or Churches perfect, but we still need to live holy lives in them. Where are we?
The second parable gives us hope. We are in a world where small, insignificant things have huge potential — like little mustard seeds that become big plants. We are those mustard seeds. The good we do will live on in the world’s history. We can verify this for ourselves by thinking about people who, though no longer with us, “seeded” us with inspiration, virtue, determination and other things so important for our lives as disciples. Where are we?
We are in a world where patience is needed until things grow to readiness — like bread dough slowly expanding from the yeast in it — the third parable. When I look back at my life, I give thanks no one pulled me up when I was a younger, pushy, impatient, judgmental and somewhat arrogant weed. I am glad the yeast of grace in me helped me grow into a gentler, kinder self! We all have a weedy side, don’t we, but also huge potential for growth! And we also can become like the farmer who patiently gives others time to grow and change. Given enough time and grace, we can change for the better, and so can the human groups to which we belong. So that’s the good “kingdom news” for today!
— Blog entry by Sister Mary Garascia; Visit icon created by Freepik – Flaticon
