Meditation Minute

My Dearest brothers and Sisters in Christ:

Gospel Reading: 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.

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus again uses the example of the seed. He tells us “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.” Eventually the seeds of life we sow mature and must be harvested. We will all face that time when we must endure our final judgment. Once the ground is prepared, there is nothing that can be done but watch the seed grow. Jesus says, “the seed would sprout and grow, he knows not how.” God places a special grace within each soul. Our souls grow inside, yet we know not how. It is through the graces of God that the soul grows. Without the grace of God, the soul is empty. God silently helps transform our soul allowing us to make decisions which help turn us to God. While God places these graces within us, we must decide to be faithful, to be loving, to be compassionate, to surrender ourselves to the will of God. These decisions are placed within us through the power of the Holy Spirit. We should pray that when the fruit of our effort has finally ripened, we are worthy of the harvest. It is only by the grace of God that we can become one with Christ and one with the church. We should ask God to give us wisdom to make good decisions and the fortitude to avoid bad decisions.

The parable goes on to talk about the mustard seed. This is one of the smallest of seeds yet it grows into a mighty tree. A tree so big “that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade.” The holy grace which was placed in our heart is like the mustard seed. It starts out small and then if we nourish it and feed it with “good”, it transforms into the large tree. The seed does not cause the transformation, but the power of the Holy Spirit given to us by God. Our heart transforms because we desire and long to be with God. Just like the seed cannot grow until it receives the nutrients from the earth, our soul cannot grow in the kingdom of God without the help of the Holy Spirit. God wants all of us to grow and become a mighty force within the kingdom of God. However, we must be willing, we must humble ourselves and we must receive the nutrients from the Word of God. We must be open to hear and see God. We also must be willing to be open and to see the need of others. We must be willing to spread our branches to provide shelter and food for those in need as the mustard tree did for the birds with its branches and its seed. You must ask yourself, “How open am I to the will of God?” How willing am I to share the graces which God has provided? When you examine your conscience, reflect on these thoughts.

A Simple Prayer

God, you have placed the seed of life within my soul.

Give me the nourishment and riches to make it grow into a mighty tree.

May my faith become attractive to guide others to you.

May my branches be worthy to provide shelter and food for others.

Yours in Christ

Michael Marcon