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Eleventh Sunday of Ordinary Time (June 17^th 2012)   

Gospel: Mark 4:26-34

Translated from a homily by Don Fabio Rosini, broadcast on Vatican Radio

Don Fabio finds in these two parables of the Kingdom of God a meditation on the nature of God's action in our lives. The Kingdom comes to maturity in our lives in unexpected ways that defy human reasoning. Our job is to provide the ground in which the seed of the Kingdom can grow. "Providing the ground" involves trusting in God at times when it seems absurd to trust in him. If we provide the ground, the seed of the Kingdom will come to fruition in our lives in dramatic ways

The parables of the Kingdom defy common-sense interpretation

These two short parables (regarding the seed that produces fruit spontaneously, and the tiny mustard seed that yields a great harvest) cannot be understood fully unless we examine the end of the Gospel passage. We are told here that Jesus only spoke to the people in parables, but when he was alone with his disciples he would explain the parables to them. This indicates that there is an aspect of the parables that is straightforward, and there is another aspect that requires explanation.

The Kingdom of Heaven comes to maturity in our lives in ways that we do not understand or expect

The first parable tells how a seed has its own inner dynamism and power. In the same way, the Kingdom of Heaven is something that has its own logic and that must be allowed to come to fruition according to its own internal dynamic. Welcoming the Kingdom of God requires being open to something that does not square with our way of thinking. It doesn't matter whether the farmer is awake or asleep. All he must do is simply provide the ground, and then the seed will grow according to principles that he cannot understand. In the same way, the power of God is working in our lives in ways that cannot be appreciated by our limited framework of understanding.

In Jesus, the Kingdom comes to maturity at the moment when all seems lost

Then we have the parable of the smallest seed that grows to become the largest plant of its type. This story illustrates that the relationship between cause and effect is not accessible to human understanding. Once we open our hearts to the Kingdom of God, it is no longer a question of judging things according to our logic, or according to human principles of measurement. We must refrain from making judgements based on our principles of what is small or great, and instead trust in the power of God. God makes use of the things that are small and despised, things that are considered the least in human terms. Jesus himself became the smallest of seeds, condemned to death by the crowd, and discarded by everyone. As a consequence of making himself the least, he becomes Lord of all, capable of saving those who obey him. Jesus follows a logic that is incomprehensible to us. At the moment when we think he is going nowhere, he is on the point of resurrection. The crucifixion seems an insurmountable scandal, an event that can bring no good, but what seems like a never-ending moment of tragedy comes to maturity when the time is right.

Genuine love involves becoming the despised seed that yields fruit in God's time

In today's scientific, rationalistic, culture there is a tendency to accept everything that makes sense to us, and to dismiss everything that is incomprehensible. Anything that does not fit in with our preconceived notion of life is considered mistaken. The cross never fits in with our approach to life, but the cross is an absolutely essential part of the experience of love. It is not possible to love someone unless we are willing to stand beside that person and serve them at times when it seems absurd. The little thing that Jesus has done explodes into the great tree where all the birds find rest and everyone comes to find shelter. Whoever has faith finds shelter in this great tree; whoever is willing to wait until God brings his designs to maturity, refraining from making judgements according to the size or greatness of what the eyes can see, trusting only in the action of God.

Our plans, no matter how well-worked out, will one day founder. The Kingdom of Heaven will come to maturity in ways that defy human principles and planning

The seed that is planted and grows by itself, and the spectacular flowering of the mustard seed, are examples of the laws of nature in operation. The Kingdom of Heaven operates according to the laws and ways of God, and these are not our ways. Our projects and schemes, no matter how carefully worked out, will eventually founder. One of the Psalms tells us that the Lord brings to nothing the designs of the nations. Saints like Francis of Assisi and Philip Neri give us a model of how to live according to God's times and seasons, and this way of life is none other than to enter into the mystery of Easter. Blessed John Paul II did wonderful things during his life, but that which wounded the heart of countless people was the helplessness of his last days. John Paul II was truly great when he became a tiny grain of suffering in the sight of the entire world, and this grain became a flowering of faith for many people at the very moment when he died.

The life of faith consists in PROVIDING THE GROUND in which the seed of the Kingdom can grow. "Providing the ground" involves trusting in God despite all obstacles

This is how the life of faith is. It does not follow obvious routes that make perfect sense to us. Instead it leads us in ways where we are confronted with obstacles that prevent us from going any further. There are times when we find ourselves powerless, and the only thing that remains is to trust in God. At these times, what is essential is that we continue to provide the ground in which the seed can grow. In this way, something small and despised can become in our lives the great work of God.