January 27, 2017

Gospel: Mk 4:26-34
Jesus also said, “In the kingdom of God it is like this: a man scatters seed upon the soil. Whether he is asleep or awake, be it day or night, the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. The soil produces of itself; first, the blade; then, the ear; then the full grain in the ear. And when it is ripe for harvesting, they take the sickle for the cutting: the time for the harvest has come.“
Jesus also said, “What is the kingdom of God like? To what shall we compare it? It is like a mustard seed which, when sown, is the smallest of all the seeds scattered upon the soil. But once sown, it grows up and becomes the largest of the plants in the garden; and even grows branches so big, that the birds of the air can take shelter in its shade.“
Jesus used many such stories, in order to proclaim the word to them in a way that they would be able to understand. He would not teach them without parables; but privately, to his disciples, he explained everything.

REFLECTION:
“Big things from small beginnings“
St. Paul and his co-workers, St. Timothy and St. Titus, worked hard in the vineyard of the Lord. St. Paul tells us in his letters the many hardships he had to endure in his missionary journeys. The author of the letter to the Hebrews counsels us to be patient and not to give us when we have to endure trials and difficulties in the apostolate.
We are like the man in the Gospel who scatters the seed upon the soil but it is the Lord who makes our labors bear fruit! The fruits of our labors are sometimes not immediately seen. At times we may not even see the fruits of our labors. We have to patiently wait. In fact many “big things in the Church“ have rather “small beginnings!“ Our small contributions in building our communities are investments that over time can grow and appreciate. Just like the mustard seed that, though the smallest of seeds, becomes at the end such a big tree.
St. Angela Merici, our Saint of the day, did her own little share in building the kingdom of God. She was a pioneer in the apostolate for women. The group that she organized, now known as the Ursuline sisters, gave women the opportunity for education that in the 16th century was unheard of. From a small beginning of about 12 volunteers they now number more than 20,000 worldwide!