Dear Friends in Christ:

In today’s Gospel, Jesus uses two short parables to show how the kingdom of God unfolds mysteriously from very insignificant humble beginnings.

In the first parable, Jesus compares the growth of the kingdom to a seed that is planted by a farmer who then retires from the scene going about other duties. The growth of the seed does not depend on him at all for it has its own potential growth. The mystery of that growth belongs to the seed and the soil. The only requirement of the farmer is vigilance and patience.

Similarly, the seed of the kingdom planted by Jesus Christ grows hidden and mysteriously. That seed is planted in the hearts of each of us, and unrecognized it grows. However we need be open to the unfolding potential of the seed as it transforms each of us into something beautiful for God and for the growth of the Church on earth. Because the growth of the seed is God’s plan and secret, that growth can happen in the most unexpected ways, times and place. Even the people that come our way in moments we never planned is part of that growth. The kingdom of God grows in the most unlikely places: in the poor, in the midst of persecution, in our sickness or that of our relatives, in our family trial moments; in times of personal struggle. What seems humanly insignificant, failure or impossible is transformed by God’s power and grace into success, and a wonderful experience of God’s salvation.

The readings therefore encourage us to be open to God’s work; to God’s planting of the seed of his word in our hearts; they encourage us never to be discouraged by what seems to be insignificant or failure for God thrives in failure and powerlessness.