Dear Church Family,
In the gospel today, Jesus teaches the crowd of people about the reign of God. In the first parable Jesus tells us that the reign of God is like a planted field. The seeds are sown and by some unknown force they grow until it is harvest time. The reign of God therefore is like seeds planted in the ground. Jesus has begun the kingdom right here on earth and it continues to grow by the grace of God. We may not actually see it growing, but each day, each moment, it is growing.
The second parable gives us even more insight into God’s kingdom. Jesus likens the kingdom to a mustard seed, the smallest of all seeds, yet the one that grows into a huge shrub. God’s reign began on earth with one young man, born of humble origins in a town called Bethlehem. Through His words, works and presence, He planted the small mustard seed, and two thousand years later, see how it has grown.
These parables teach us that God’s reign has begun and that there is no stopping it. Yet if we want to be a party to it, we have a responsibility. We must recognize that it is right here, right now. We must reap the benefits of God’s reign today. So, for all of us, this little bush which is the Church grows up to encompass all the nations of the earth. It’s good to feel that God has just planted the seed and now we are all producing fruit.
So the seed will grow into harvest and that’s the sign of the wonderful unseen power of Christ in His church. St. Paul tells us that we walk by faith and not by sight, that even though we may wish to be away from the body and with the Lord, we have a responsibility right here to please Him by how we live, by how we love and by how we work together to care for the kingdom.
Love, Fr. Bob
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