Let us…surrender to God’s plan and not be so caught up with our own. Let God use us as he sees fit in the building of His kingdom of peace, justice, and love.

Fr. Oscar Mendez, OFM

If we pay attention to today’s Gospel and first reading, there is a common theme, which is when God works, He can make small things become great. This gives us hope that no matter how small our work for God is, He can make our work or ministry grow according to the needs of the community. Simple things we say or do can have a big influence. One person can affect many, even without knowing it.

In today’s Gospel, we hear two parables. The first one is about a farmer scattering seed on the land, and then, without his intervention, the seed sprouts into a plant-bearing grain. In the second parable, the kingdom of God is compared to a mustard seed, that though it is very small, springs up to become the largest of plants. If you remember the parable of the sower in Chapter 4 of Mark, the focus is on the land. Here the focus is on the seed that grows without any human intervention after it has been planted. Both of these parables call to mind God’s grace in our lives and in the building of the kingdom of God; God’s grace moves mysteriously in ways we sometimes cannot understand or grasp. We can plant seeds through our words and actions, but we need to remember that God is in control and not us. We are only collaborators, and God is the builder.

This is the time that we need to be humble when we are doing God’s will in our lives, we are not in charge, and we should not expect any rewards from another human being, but from God. We are called to trust in God’s presence even when times are dark and difficult. We are called to trust that God is in charge. Let us go beyond our own calculations, forecasts, tangible results, and surrender to God’s plan, and not be so caught up with our own. Let God use us as he sees fit in the building of His kingdom of peace, justice, and love. We might be frustrated and even discouraged by continued racism, oppression, hatred, violence, intolerance and so on but we cannot and should not give up.

If we are truly committed to living out the gospel values in our lives, then even though we might not see the results, it is possible that we have no idea of how our words and actions are germinating and helping the kingdom of God to grow. Today’s readings encourage us to continue to be faithful and to trust in God who cares and loves us deeply.

Today also we commemorate the feast of a great saint, St. Anthony of Padua, may his intercession help us to continue helping the poor in our world.

Peace and good. Fr. Oscar.

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