Just as a seed transforms into a mature plant, Jesus envisions us being transformed as one of his followers, recognizing the presence of God’s kingdom in our midst.
These readings aren’t intended to be a lesson in gardening. They are about building up the kingdom of God. The seed planted in us at our baptism has the potential to transform us into seeing how we can do our part to bring about the kingdom of God. Like with any seed you plant, that takes patience. One doesn’t become a saint overnight any more than an infant can go from babbling “mama” to talking eloquently.
With parables, Jesus uses seeds to describe the kingdom of God that becomes visible when we realize our own potential to do what we are called to do as disciples of Jesus, namely living out our baptismal promises. So what are we to do? In a nutshell, we hear God’s word, nurture it in the fertile soil of our hearts, and then allow it to sprout forth as good works.
For God’s kingdom to come, a kingdom of justice, love, and peace, each of us has a role to play. God gives us the grace to make a difference. We may feel inadequate for the task yet to plant even one seed of truth or justice can make a difference. Often times we act quietly in ways that will leave a lasting impression on others. If we think anything we can do is too insignificant to change people’s attitudes or if we think that anything we can do is too insignificant to bring some one closer to God, we are missing the practical message of today’s readings.
Let me tell you about Josephine. She was in third grade when her family moved to California. Everyday she rode the bus to school. When the bus dropped her off at home, her brother would be waiting for her. Although he was older than her, Jimmy didn’t go to school.
The other kids on the bus would laugh when they saw him because they could see that he was different. He looked and acted differently from other kids. When Josephine got off the bus, he would jump up and run to meet her. Josephine didn’t seem at all embarrassed although she knew the kids on the bus were having a great time laughing at her. She would greet her brother and hug him. Hand in hand the two of them would march into the house.
Even as a little girl she had learned a very human lesson on love. It took time for the others on the bus to learn, but toward the end of the school year they no longer mocked Josephine and her brother. Eventually they began to show a little kindness and compassion, waving at them from the bus.
When anyone would ask Josephine about her brother, she would simply say that he was retarded and would never be like other kids, but he was her brother and she loved him. The daily image of Josephine embracing her brother and the evolving reaction of the kids on the bus remained a lasting impression on those students. Else you would not have heard this story, which was shared by one of them who is forty years later. I daresay that what Josephine did for her brother certainly influenced that woman. Years earlier she received a tiny seed planted by Josephine that enabled her to become more caring and compassionate toward others.
Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “No man has learned to live until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity…In order to love creatively and meaningfully, our self-concern must be wedded to other-concern.”
Jesus told us that the kingdom of God is like a seed. That seed is the kindness we do, the worship we share in, our conversations around the dinner table or over a cup of coffee, the soup taken to a sick neighbor, the decision to put the family first. The seed prompts us to be sensitive to minorities and those of different ethnic groups. The seed is living out the commandments by what we say and do.
I doubt that I would be standing here a few weeks shy of celebrating my 35thanniversary of ordination if some people, including my parents, had not impressed me by their example and their convictions. Nor would I be here if I did not believe that I could do the same for others, quietly inviting them to confront the evil and prejudice in our midst with deeds of love, respect and compassion.
The kingdom of God isn’t what many expected then nor was Jesus the messiah they expected. Today that reaction happens when the message of a homily isn’t what some expect even though its intent is to bring the kingdom of God one step closer to reality when evil is confronted.
Paul raised the point that we will all appear someday before the judgment seat of Christ and that each of us will receive recompense for what we have done, whether good or evil. What we do in this lifetime depends on how readily we love God, others and ourselves.
Think of those in your life who have contributed to your faith journey. They quietly impacted you just as Josephine did with her classmates. Commit yourself to being an agent of making God’s kingdom real, one small interaction, one small good deed, one act of forgiveness, one small seed at a time.