Reflection

Gospel

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 through it all 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.                                                                                             Mark 4: 26-34

Reflection

Can our God really help us? Can we really have hope in the midst of great struggles?

Jesus prepares his disciples, and us, for the journey ahead. God's reign, he explains, is not the way we think of reign and power. It is like the farmer who sows seed, but doesn't really know how they grow, even with the right combination of sun, rain and good soil. It just grows. And, it's like a mustard seed which is not very impressive or powerful looking. The results, however, are wonderful.

This message is not an overly simple one that says "God will make everything the way we want it to be, and now." Each of us carries a sadness about something that did not work well in our life, and perhaps a number of things which are not working well now. Some of them are so difficult, so challenging, that it is hard to imagine how we could dare to have hope. We might be tempted to lose courage - to be dis-couraged - so much so that we can't imagine that God is here or that God is able to bring saving grace into our situation. We don't know - can't foresee - how there can be light anywhere near this darkness, or how this loss, this death, can result in some life.

We "walk by faith, not by sight" much of the time. That's why we call it "faith." Walking in "confidence" is walking "with faith." Today, for example, each of us can place our trust in God's presence with us, in the midst of the most difficult challenges.

We can say, "Lord, I know that you know more than I know or understand. I trust that you feel the pain I have and the pain that so many are carrying. I know you are sad about suffering. But, I place my trust in you, believing that you alone can redeem this mess with your love, mercy and grace. Knowing you are with me, gives me courage and hope. What I'm really asking you is to help me sense your presence with me and to believe. Help me to trust, that you have a power and a grace that we can't see or understand until we witness how you can give light, when we only see death. Please give me bold courage to sustain this faith and to witness it for others who need it from me. Then, like sun and rain and good soil, mercy and love will bring more life and growth than I can today imagine”.

Julie Leonard Religious Education Leader/Wellbeing Leader