11th Sunday in Ordinary Time: The Hidden Power of the Kingdom of God

If we will just focus on what we see and hear about our country and world today, it is difficult to imagine that goodness, truth and beauty will ever prevail let alone God’s kingdom. If we will just focus on what is happening in our life today, it is difficult to imagine that we will overcome all our problems and someday we will experience fullness of life and share in the glory of God in heaven.  Everyday in the news we hear of killings, violence, oppression, suffering, and poverty of most of our people while an elite few bask in power and wealth. The power of evil seems overwhelming, and the world presents itself as beautiful place only for a select few.

In the gospel today, Jesus says otherwise–the Kingdom of God is present in the world today despite its ugliness and messiness and God’s kingdom will triumph in the end. He did this by way of two parables. The first one is about the kingdom of God which he likens to a seed that grows of its own accord:

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 (Mark 4: 26 – 29).

Although it is the farmer who scatters the seed, the growth of the seed until when it is ready for harvest, is of its own accord. The kingdom of God is like this. It has its own power and dynamism. Despite all the evil and suffering in the world, the world will be transformed into God’s kingdom where goodness, truth and beauty prevails. Even if many people will block or not do anything about it, the Kingdom of God will continue to  grow and will reach its fulfillment in God’s time.

St. Paul expressed the same confidence in the second reading today that despite the seeming triumph of evil, God’s kingdom is present and actively working in the world today. Why? St. Paul simply says, “for we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5: 7).  This confidence is also proclaimed by God in Ezekiel who will

bring low the high tree,
lift high the lowly tree,
wither up the green tree,
and make the withered tree bloom.
As I, the LORD, have spoken, so will I do (Ezekiel 17: 24).

Having a God who makes the withered tree bloom gives us the hope and courage to continue on believing in the Kingdom of God despite the overwhelming odds.

Where can we see the Kingdom of God present and at work in the world today? The second parable of Jesus in the gospel today gives us a hint. In the second parable, Jesus likened the Kingdom of God to the smallest of things—the tiny mustard seed. The kingdom of heaven may start small and with great difficulty, but it will grow—and once it begins to grow, it is unstoppable. In God’s time, the small seed of the mustard plant will grow to take over the entire field.

The kingdom of God is present and active in the ‘small’ people today–the poor, the infamous, the powerless, the humble, and the simple people who continue to believe and struggle with God. One does not have to be president or king to make a difference; the smallest person is great and powerful. They sacrificed their time, talents and lives in giving life to others and in preparing the world for the coming of God’s kingdom by works of charity, justice and peace building. The kingdom of God is present and alive in small movements of people united and working together in building a just and humane society. The kingdom of God is present in our small yet constant acts of kindness, goodness and love to one another especially for the least, the last and the lost.

Speaking of small things, I am reminded of a book called, Small Is Beautiful: A Study of Economics As If People Mattered by German born British economist E. F. Schumacher, first published in 1973. Schumacher critiques Western economics during the 1973 energy crisis and emergence of globalization and champions the small, appropriate technologies who he believes empower people more.

The hiddenness of God’s kingdom in our world today does not mean patronizing evil and doing nothing. A patient God works with the sinfulness and the messiness of our world. God utilizes the smallest of events, the small people, the weak and the humble, rather than the strong, the mighty, and the proud. God’s way of building his Kingdom is not the quick-fix solution of eradicating evil or the show of force to effect change but the gradual day-to-day hard work, perseverance and collective action of everybody. Ultimately, God’s small and patient ways of presence and action will pave the way for the decisive victory of God’s kingdom

Jesus parables about the unseen power and presence of God’s kingdom in today’s gospel run counter to many of the populist demands today that brags of the power of the mighty and strong. Jesus parables about God’s kingdom run counter to many of the populist demands today that brags of the quick-fix solution: the call to kill all addicts to eradicate the menace of drug addiction, the call to bomb Muslim countries to eradicate extremism, the call to exterminate the NPA’s in order to have peace in our nation.  Jesus parables about about the unseen power and presence of God’s kingdom run counter to many of the populist demands today that brags of the power of the majority to reduce the other who are different: the call to rid of immigrants, the call to deride the LGBTQ, the call to ostracize the other because of different status, color, gender and ethnicity. Jesus parables about about the unseen power and presence of God’s kingdom run counter to our knack for judging other people: the call to eradicate and discard the sinners and misfits among us.

Jesus parables are stories of grace, patience and hope. Rather than being overcome by discouragement, the parable holds out hope for us. God has sowed good seed in each one of us and through all his creation.  It is slowly growing. We just need to nurture God’s good seeds in the world today.

In a world where it seems that the devil has the upper hand, God is in charge. God is not indifferent to our struggle. God is not unaware of the sufferings and what still needs to be done. God is guiding us and the church in the process of bringing about a good harvest. We need to play this parable over and over again in our imagination and consciousness, especially when things disillusion and discourage us.

Let me end with a prayer by Anne M. Osdieck [1].

O,
like
the tiny
mustard plant,
give us your roots.
Dig down deep in our souls,
storm into our hearts and minds.
Grow into so large a plant
that all of our actions
all of our ideas,
all our loves
and selves
nestle
and shelter
in your branches.

[1] Anne M. Osdieck, “Praying Towards Sunday.” Accessed at http://liturgy.slu.edu/11OrdB061718/prayerpathmain.html