11th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B – Homily
11th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B
Ezekiel 17:22-24
Psalm 92:2-3, 13-14, 15-16 (2a)
2 Corinthians 5:6-10
Mark 4:26-34
June 17, 2018
Using a parable, Jesus speaks to the crowds about the farmer scattering seed on the land and then waiting for it to grow without knowing how it grows. The farmer knew to plant the seed in good soil. He knew to water and fertilize it. He didn’t know how but he knew if he did these things, the seed would bear a good crop.
He understood this as happening by God’s will. It was the beauty of nature.
Today, through science, we know more about the biology of how the seed becomes a plant, grows, and bears the crop. Relying only on the science, many have lost the sense of God in it. For me, God is still very much at the heart of it. It is not some random scientific occurrence. God brings order to creation.
If we were to look at the average seed without having any idea what it is, we would consider it small and insignificant. Some seed would be seen as nothing but dust and thrown out but in even the smallest of seeds lies the origin of so much more than what is seen in the seed.
God has planted a great seed within us. Do we allow the seed to flourish? God is the source of not just our faith but all that is within us. It is God who knows what fruit we are to bear. It is in relying on God that we become, as described in the psalm, “vigorous and sturdy”.
Becoming the “largest” as Jesus speaks of is not simply a matter of making lots of money or gaining great notoriety. To be a great “person” involves body and soul. We need physical food to nourish our bodies and we need spiritual food (God’s Word and the Eucharist) to nourish our souls.
Do we seek nourishment for our souls?
Becoming all that God calls to be does not require us to do everything alone. It means working together, pooling our gifts, to make God’s kingdom known. In this way, God takes what we do and multiplies it with the work of others and with his grace.
We can look at the seed within ourselves. We can also think about the seed in others.
Today is Father’s Day. What does it mean to be a “father”?
Does it not mean to take the child that begins in its mother’s womb as a tiny cell, the smallest of all, and help the child grow to reach its potential?
This can include being a provider for the child, providing a home, food to eat, and caring for the child. This goes beyond physical care to help your children become all that they are meant to be? Faith must be part of this. A person can only reach their full potential when they learn to look beyond themselves to see their place in God’s plan.
Fathers and mothers are to help their children be all they are meant to be. This can be a challenge. Children don’t always listen. Parents aren’t perfect either.
Parents also don’t want to let go. It’s graduation season. For the graduates, it can be both exciting and scary in the unknown. The same is true for parents as their children move to the next stage of life. Be thankful for the joy of seeing the growth and rely on God to always watch over them.
May we be all that God means for us to be.