WORD ALIVE
A young man who was known for his impatience once prayed, “Lord, give me patience...and I want it now!” His impatience must really be that bad.
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Seeing so much evil around, the slow progress in economic recovery, problems about money, conflicts at home or in offices, we complain: “Why does God not do something? Is God’s silence a proof of his inexistence?”
Jesus provides some answers in this Sunday’s parable of the mustard seed.
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The kingdom of heaven is like a seed growing. Growth, as we know, is a slow process. The seed has to germinate, sprout, then mature. The right attitude, Christ teaches, is to be patient and allow God’s action to take its course.
During Christ’s time there were Zealots who wanted to force the advent of the kingdom by violence and seizure of power. Some of today's counterparts would be the communists and rebels.
In the subsequent parable of the mustard seed, Christ uses it to teach that the Kingdom of God may be small but it grows until it becomes the biggest shrub. The mustard is not common in the Philippines. The seed of santol or duhat may be closer to our experience.
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“Are we making any progress in the world or in society? Is there more evil happening than good?”
Let’s not be pessimists but optimists who see the good things happening in the world. Think of the progresses of the world made in civil rights. Human beings were sold as slaves many decades ago, but that’s a thing of the past now.
Science and medicine have made advances by leaps and bounds. Think of the anti-coronavirus vaccines that had ended the devastating coronavirus pandemic.
Then there are the miracles in Lourdes happening since 1858 and other faith healing miracles in Portugal and Guadalupe, Mexico which testify that God and the Blessed Mother Mary care.
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The Kingdom of God was inaugurated when Jesus Christ came to the world. But he will return when that Kingdom is realized.
If we cannot directly stop the bigger hatreds and injustices which are obstacles to the growth of God’s kingdom, then let’s work for justice, love and peace within our own homes, schools, and work places.
Justice means giving what’s due, for instance, to the poor like house helpers and workers. Somebody said, “If you don’t give what’s due to them, hindi justice yan kundi... jus-tiis! (just suffer the injustice).
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Let us close with the Prayer of St. Francis: “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy.
Grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love; for it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.”
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Appeal: A benefactor of seminarians once said: “My sons have no vocation to the priesthood so I might as well help others become priests.” How inspiring!
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Seminarians are future priests and missionaries. We cannot have them if we don’t support them. ([email protected])