During his public ministry, Jesus preached the Kingdom of God through words and actions. To help us reflect and meditate on the different facets of the mystery of the Kingdom, he used parables. In today’s Gospel, two parables are given to us: the parable of the sower and the mustard seed.
Jesus Among Us
The mother Church teaches us that all biblical revelation culminates in the revelation of Jesus Christ as the Word that was made flesh and dwelt among us. Jesus, as the word through whom all things were made, revealed to us that the God in whose image and likeness we are created, is a God of Love. It is out of Love for us that He sent his only begotten Son into the world to sow the seed of his Word in our lives, and in our hearts. The Kingdom of God preached by Jesus is Righteousness, Peace, Joy and Love in the Holy Spirit.
Jesus manifested the Kingdom of God, not only through preaching but also through great signs: healing of the sick and casting out demons. To those who doubted his authority and actions he said: “But if it is through the finger of God that I drive devils out, then the Kingdom of God has indeed caught you unawares” cf. Luke 11:20.
His Mission for All of Us
Jesus entrusted this mission of proclaiming the Kingdom of God through words and actions to his disciples and to their successors. And since Pentecost, the mission of evangelization continues to spread, paving its ways through obstacles, persecutions, and difficulties. Despite the close proximity of the Kingdom of God, its visibility may not always correspond to our expectations or views.
When we consider our world as it is today, with the present corona virus pandemic, the crisis it has provoked, and even the scandals in the Church, it can seem overwhelming. The present situation may have cast a shadow on the faith of our fellow Christians, and we may be tempted not to recognize the signs of the Kingdom of God in the world or even doubt the reality of the reign of God. Let us remember today’s parables. In a discreet manner, God is working in the world and in our lives. Every living soul is a mystery of this seed of life sown by God. Our real identity, who we truly are, goes beyond scientific explanations. Because we are created in the image and likeness of God, Christ is telling us that God has confidence in the capacity of every living soul to receive His word, and yield fruits.
In his first letter says St. John says: “My dear Friends, we are already God’s children, but what we shall be in the future has not yet been revealed…” (1 John 3: 2). In these trouble times, when the future seems very uncertain for many, as believers in Christ, we should keep the flame of faith, hope and charity burning in us. This becomes possible when we allow the power of the word of God transform us continually from within. Those who freely allow the word of God to be a lamp for their feet and a light for their path (cf. Psalm 119:105) experience inner freedom, joy, peace, and hope.
Overcoming Obstacles
Christ has set the ball of the Kingdom of God rolling and nothing can stop it. Evil may try to delay it, put up obstacles, create confusion and even sew division within the Church. As Christ said, the gates of hell can never overpower it. I think that one of the main challenges for us today is to work for the Kingdom of God following the examples of Christ, and not to work against it in pursuing selfish interests.
As Jesus challenges us on our different perceptions of the Kingdom of God in the world today, He is also inviting us to have confidence, hope and faith in the power of his Word in our lives and in the world. May the eternal word of God, by which the disciples were sanctified, keep the flame of faith alive in us always and help us be signs of the kingdom that are Justice, Peace, Joy and Love!
[Ez 17:22-24; 92:2-3, 13-14, 15-16; 2 Cor 5:6-10; Mk 4:26-34]
