Daily Gospel Reflection – Tuesday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time
October 26, 2021
Tuesday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time
Gospel: Lk 13:18-21
Jesus said, “What is the Kingdom of God like?
To what can I compare it?
It is like a mustard seed that a man took and planted in the garden.
When it was fully grown, it became a large bush
and the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches.”
Again he said, “To what shall I compare the Kingdom of God?
It is like yeast that a woman took
and mixed in with three measures of wheat flour
until the whole batch of dough was leavened.”
Source: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
Bishop Robert Barron
Friends, today’s Gospel compares the kingdom of heaven to a mustard seed. It seems to be a law of the spiritual life that God wants good things to start small and grow over time.
We’re tempted to say, "You’re God. Just get on with it. Do it." But why would God work the way he does? We might attempt a few explanations. It is a commonplace of the Bible that God rejoices in our cooperation. He wants us to involve ourselves—through freedom, intelligence, creativity—in what he is doing. And so he plants seeds, and he wants us to cultivate them.
"Francis, rebuild my Church." Now, God could have rebuilt his Church, but he wanted St. Francis to get involved. God could have renewed the spiritual life of Christianity through a great infusion of grace, but he inspired St. Antony the Great to leave everything behind and go live alone in the desert.
There’s something else. When things start small, they can fly under the radar for a time while they gain strength and heft and seriousness. And those involved can be tested and tried.
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