11th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year B
In today’s gospel reading, we are given two wonderful parables that emphasize the importance of faith in God. In the first parable, the parable of the sown seed growing by itself, Christ is the Sower, the seed sown is the word of God, the period of growth and production of fruit is the period for the manifestation of God’s kingdom of earth, and the harvest is our membership as Catholic Christians in the kingdom of God. In that parable, Jesus reminds us that He has planted the seed of God’s word in us and that the seed sown in us grows through the power of God, but still requires our cooperation as His disciples, in order to fulfill His mission of evangelizing the world.
In the second parable, the parable of the mustard seed, we are taught that though the mustard seed is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth, once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants and puts forth large branches, that the birds of the sky dwell in its shade. With this parable, Jesus reminds us that no matter how small we think or feel our faith in God is, that the word of God sown in us constantly aids its growth, and that surely, with hard work, determination and dedication, our faith will grow to become great and bear much fruit that will help us truly live out the gospel of Christ in the world. So what is Jesus teaching us today with these two parables? Jesus is teaching us that; 1.Patience is very essential and necessary in our spiritual lives as Christians. Since the seed of faith has been sown in us by God, through the gospel of Christ, patience will help us nurture and grow that faith in God. Hence, we should practice the virtue of patience if we want to deepen our faith in God.
2.Secondly, it is a well known fact that God’s kingdom grows on its own accord and we don’t know how, as we heard in today’s gospel reading, but we cannot be complacent because we are disciples of Christ, we have to persevere in good works and faith. Perseverance in our faith entails working hard to cultivate and care for the seed of faith sown in us through prayer, Scripture reading, living out the Corporal Works of Mercy and Spiritual Works of Mercy. So no matter our slowness in this process, we are assured that there will be an eventual growth and good results in the future if we work hard and are consistent, because hard work pays off in the end.
3.Jesus with the parable of the Mustard seed teaches us that Humility or Humbleness which is the quality or state of being modest and lacking in pride or arrogance in our lives, is very important in the growth of our faith and in living out His gospel.
4.Lastly, Jesus teaches us how to have Confidence in Him, as God manifests His plans for us without our help, when we stand firm in Him as shown us in seed that is sown at night which sprouts, grows and yields fruit without us knowing how.
So my dear brothers and sisters in Christ, it is time to grow, nurture and deepen our faith in God as Jesus taught us in today’s gospel reading. So let us do so, by living out the gospel of Christ when we practice the virtues of Patience, Perseverance, Humility and Confidence in God.
