Scripture:
Ezekiel 17:22-24
2 Corinthians 5:6-10
Mark 4:26-34
Reflection:
In our Gospel reding for this Sunday (Mark 4:26-34), Jesus tells two parables about the kingdom of heaven. I would like to start with the second parable first. In that parable, Jesus likens the kingdom of God to a mustard seed. A mustard seed is tiny, but “when it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade.”
When I think of that image of birds dwelling in the shade of the mustard plant, I think of the church. Maybe the Church is to reflect the kingdom of God for people. And along these lines, I was drawn to the imagery we find in our first reading from the prophet Ezekiel (17:22-24). In that first reading the prophet uses the image of a great cedar tree to represent God’s promises of restoring the kingdom of Israel. Again, the image of a great cedar speaks to me of the church, and I would like to explore that with you. In these quotes the italics are mine:
This cedar “shall put forth branches and bear fruit” – As a church, we are called to bear fruit, to proclaim the Good News of God’s love in Jesus Christ, and meet the needs of people.
“Birds of every kind shall dwell beneath it” – We are called to be a welcoming church, opening our hearts to those who are seeking some meaning in their lives; those who are hurting; those who have no voice in the world; those suffering from addiction; those who know they need to be grateful for all the blessings they have received.
“every winged thing in the shade of its boughs” – The Church is not here to “clip the wings” of its younger members or silence the voice of its prophets, but to give each a home, and share with them the wisdom of the community.
“And all of the trees of the field shall know that I, the Lord, bring low the high tree, lift high the lowly tree” – For me, this is a warning to us, and a call. When we as a church get caught up in ourselves, and not in our mission, God will find a way to humble us and bring us back to Himself. When we are humble enough to know it’s not about us, but about God and about God’s children and God’s creation, God will lift us up and guide us in the way we are called to go.
I do not profess to know how God might lift us up. But as St. Paul says in our first reading (2 Corinthians 5:6-10): “we walk by faith, not by sight.” We are to put our trust in God. In the first parable Jesus tells in our Gospel reading, He uses the image of a person scattering seed “on the land.” How the seed grows and bears fruit, he doesn’t know, but when it comes time to harvest the fruit, he does. We can only scatter the seeds of God’s love in Jesus Christ, as individuals in our own lives, and together as a church. We do what we can to bring others to Jesus; to work for justice and make peace, but we can’t control other people’s response or what will happen. We can only trust that God knows better than we do.
May the Holy Spirit guide us. May we be open to bear fruit, and scatter the seeds of God’s love, wherever and with whomever we are.
Fr. Phil Paxton, C.P., is the local superior of the Passionist Community in Birmingham, Alabama.