Memorial of Saint John Bosco, Priest
Mark 4:26-34
Jesus said to the crowds: “This is how it is with the Kingdom of God; it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land and would sleep and rise night and day and the seed would sprout and grow, he knows not how. Of its own accord the land yields fruit, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once, for the harvest has come.” He said, “To what shall we compare the Kingdom of God, or what parable can we use for it? It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth. But once 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.” With many such parables he spoke the word to them as they were able to understand it. Without parables he did not speak to them, but to his own disciples he explained everything in private.
Opening Prayer: Lord Jesus, I come before you today sinful and sorrowful, but also full of hope in your mercy. You spoke in parables to the men and women with whom you walked this earth, but you speak the truth clearly to me through your Church. You are the King of the universe, but you have loved me from all eternity. Give me the grace today to look at the mysteries of your Kingdom and see what you would have me see.
Encountering Christ:
1. Veiled: Jesus began this parable on the Kingdom of God by reminding us that there will be things that occur, but we “know not how.” Perhaps yesterday, in solidarity with the whole Church, you prayed the luminous mysteries of the rosary, meditating for one decade on the Proclamation of the Kingdom. Perhaps you focused on scenes from the Gospel like the one today. Perhaps your mind wandered to mysterious occurrences in your own life or in history. How did a friend or relative beat a serious illness? How did a child manage to maintain their faith in the midst of overwhelming secular influences? How did people survive the Holocaust, or the Rwandan genocide, or the Soviet gulags, and not harbor hatred in their hearts? Max Glauben, a survivor of the Warsaw ghetto and then six Nazi labor camps, spent time each year of the last decade accompanying young people on a March of the Living, retracing many of his steps from seven decades earlier, recounting his memories and asking others to join his fight to eradicate hatred. One participant once mentioned to him, “You’re the reason I believe in God now.” In our own search for reason and meaning, let us lift the veil on the mysterious, the miraculous, and the mundane, and see where we are being called to a closer encounter with Jesus Christ, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (cf. Jn 14:6).
2. When the Grain Is Ripe: God, in his mercy, often adds years to our life so that we can learn wisdom and produce in our actions fruit that is worthy of eternity. How much do I value the opportunities I have each day to do simple acts of charity or leave messages that have a beneficial effect on others? How often do I pray for others? Each day I should be attentive to the small and big opportunities the Lord gives me to help establish his Kingdom more deeply in my soul and in the souls of others.
3. From Small Seeds: Researching any kingdom, we might want to study its ruler, its intent, and its extent. In today’s Gospel, Jesus presents an image to us which, on the surface, doesn’t tell us much about these key attributes of a kingdom. However, the brief discussion of a mustard seed’s life cycle, whether we are gardeners or not, is well worth contemplating. Who can discern the smallest of seeds, and who might plant one? The ruler of our Kingdom, Jesus Christ. For what intent would such a small seed be planted? So that it could be nourished to reach its potential. To what extent might this seed expand? Jesus tells us that it will grow surprisingly large and will be a place of safe harbor, of shade and respite from the burning sun. Elsewhere in the Gospels, Jesus compares not the Kingdom but the theological virtue of faith to this same mustard seed: “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed…” (Mt 17:20). With a faith sown by Christ himself, with an intent to nourish this faith with prayer and the sacraments, and a willingness to extend this faith to those I encounter, why should we doubt that we can move mountains?
Conversing with Christ: Lord, thank you for the workings of your grace in so many souls. I want to be united with your grace throughout this day and throughout my life. Help me to use this day in such a way that I will be planting your love around me.
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will pray the rosary with my family, taking time to contemplate each of the mysteries and what they might be saying to me personally.
