20240616 RELYING ON GOD’S GRACE IN OUR SPIRITUAL GROWTH
16 June 2024, Sunday, 10th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading |
Ezekiel 17:22-24 |
I will plant a shoot on the high mountain of Israel
The Lord says this:
‘From the top of the cedar,
from the highest branch I will take a shoot
and plant it myself on a very high mountain.
I will plant it on the high mountain of Israel.
It will sprout branches and bear fruit,
and become a noble cedar.
Every kind of bird will live beneath it,
every winged creature rest in the shade of its branches.
And every tree of the field will learn that I, the Lord, am the one
who stunts tall trees and makes the low ones grow,
who withers green trees and makes the withered green.
I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will do it.’
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 91(92):2-3,13-16 |
It is good to give you thanks, O Lord.
It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
to make music to your name, O Most High,
to proclaim your love in the morning
and your truth in the watches of the night.
It is good to give you thanks, O Lord.
The just will flourish like the palm tree
and grow like a Lebanon cedar.
It is good to give you thanks, O Lord.
Planted in the house of the Lord
they will flourish in the courts of our God,
still bearing fruit when they are old,
still full of sap, still green,
to proclaim that the Lord is just.
In him, my rock, there is no wrong.
It is good to give you thanks, O Lord.
Second reading |
2 Corinthians 5:6-10 |
We want to be exiled from the body and make our home with the Lord
We are always full of confidence when we remember that to live in the body means to be exiled from the Lord, going as we do by faith and not by sight – we are full of confidence, I say, and actually want to be exiled from the body and make our home with the Lord. Whether we are living in the body or exiled from it, we are intent on pleasing him. For all the truth about us will be brought out in the law court of Christ, and each of us will get what he deserves for the things he did in the body, good or bad.
Gospel Acclamation | Jn15:15 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
I call you friends, says the Lord,
because I have made known to you
everything I have learnt from my Father.
Alleluia!
Or: |
Alleluia, alleluia!
The seed is the word of God, Christ the sower;
whoever finds this seed will remain for ever.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Mark 4:26-34 |
The kingdom of God is a mustard seed growing into the biggest shrub of all
Jesus said to the crowds: ‘This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man throws seed on the land. Night and day, while he sleeps, when he is awake, the seed is sprouting and growing; how, he does not know. Of its own accord the land produces first the shoot, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. And when the crop is ready, he loses no time: he starts to reap because the harvest has come.’
He also said, ‘What can we say the kingdom of God is like? What parable can we find for it? It is like a mustard seed which at the time of its sowing in the soil is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet once it is sown it grows into the biggest shrub of them all and puts out big branches so that the birds of the air can shelter in its shade.’
Using many parables like these, he spoke the word to them, so far as they were capable of understanding it. He would not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything to his disciples when they were alone.
RELYING ON GOD’S GRACE IN OUR SPIRITUAL GROWTH
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Ez 17:22-24; Ps 92:2-3,13-16; 2 Cor 5:6-10; Mk 4:26-34]
As parents, we want the best for our children. We work hard for them and we invest our money on their education. We hope they will do well in life and be upright and filial, with the right values. This is why some Catholic parents want to give their children a good Catholic education and a strong faith in Christ. But that is all we can do as parents. We may provide the best ambience, the best education, the best teachers. Yet, some children do not turn out the way we hope. Some take their education and privileged lifestyles for granted, especially if their parents are well-to-do. Not all children turn out to be successful and responsible in life. They squander their opportunities to study and be well-prepared for life. This is tragic.
On the other hand, we see young people from disadvantaged families whose parents are divorced, always fighting at home, or who do not go to church. They lack the love of their parents and are often brought up as latch-key children while their parents are at work. They come from lower income families without the frills of modern living. Some even help out in their family businesses or with the household chores as they cannot afford a domestic helper. Many of them, because of their upbringing, come out stronger, more disciplined, and focused as they seek to get out of the vicious circle of poverty and dysfunctional families. Many become successful despite their disadvantages.
How do we explain the mystery of life and growth? Today’s scripture readings tell us that we must walk by faith not by sight. Saint Paul wrote, “We are always full of confidence going as we do by faith and not by sight.” Life is not totally within our control. Man proposes, God disposes. Our health, success, and happiness are not solely determined by our planning, but depend very much on the grace of God. We cannot take our health for granted just because we are young. We cannot take our success for granted just because we have good grades in our studies or are doing well in business. Nothing is permanent in this life. Let us not be over confident. Health, money, and success can be taken away suddenly. We will regret if we have not used our resources for the service of others and for our own growth.
In the final analysis, we depend on the grace of God. This is the lesson in today’s first reading and the Gospel. The Israelites were exiled in Babylon. Stripped of their temple, kingdom, and land, they were languishing, trying to make sense of what they were going through and where God’s fidelity was in His covenant with Israel. Through the prophet Ezekiel, God assured Israel that He would make them grow again and become powerful and mighty like the cedar tree. “From the top of the cedar, from the highest branch I will take a shoot and plant it myself on a very high mountain. I will plant it on the high mountain of Israel. It will sprout branches and bear fruit, and become a noble cedar. Every kind of bird will live beneath it, every winged creature rest in the shade of its branches.” Indeed, Israel would not just recover her glory and place in the world, but also be a source of refuge and strength to people of other nations. And this was because of the work of the Lord. It is also His grace and power at work in our lives as He said, “And every tree of the field will learn that I, the Lord, am the one who stunts tall trees and makes the low ones grow, who withers green trees and makes the withered green. I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will do it.”
This does not mean we should not plan ahead or work hard. St Paul reminds us, “Whether we are living in the body or exiled from it, we are intent on pleasing him. For all the truth about us will be brought out in the law court of Christ, and each of us will get what he deserves for the things he did in the body, good or bad.” He also says, “Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow. If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit. So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up. So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith” (Galatians 6:7-10). Truly, whilst trusting in the Lord, we must do our best with whatever talents, resources, and opportunities the Lord has given us. Our starting points may be different, but God will ensure that the end will be fulfilling for each one of us. Each of us will find happiness and fulfilment according to our cooperation with His grace.
How then, does God’s grace work in our lives? In the Parable of the Growing Seed (Mark 4:27), the Lord says the kingdom is growing all the time whether we are sleeping or whether we are awake. “A man throws seed on the land. Night and day, while he sleeps, when he is awake, the seed is sprouting and growing; how, he does not know.” We do not know how the grace of God is working in our lives and in the lives of others. Sometimes, we do not see things happening or the changes taking place as we had hoped. The heart and mind of a person is changing all the time, for better or for worse. Growth takes place even when we think nothing is changing. We will not know until we see the result. “And when the crop is ready, he loses no time; he starts to reap because the harvest has come.”
What is also significant is that we cannot hinder the growth of grace. “Of its own accord the land produces first the shoot, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.” God is in control and He acts according to His own time. This is why we should not be overly-anxious if we find our children still lacking faith, not going to Church, or believing in God. Of course, we must provide them the opportunities to encounter God. They may not appear to be interested or to absorb what they hear in catechism sessions or the homilies at Mass, but God is quietly working on the hearts and minds of these young people. We may not see results immediately, perhaps not even in our lifetime, but God knows best when to radically intervene in a person’s life when he is ready.
Looking back, we will be surprised how powerful the grace of God is when we learn to trust Him after doing our best to collaborate with His grace. In the Parable of the Mustard Seed, the Lord said, “at the time of its sowing in the soil it is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet once it is sown it grows into the biggest shrub of them all and puts out big branches so that the birds of the air can shelter in its shade.” We might think what we do for our children, loved ones, or society is insignificant. Yet, we never know how these young people will turn out to be in the future, or how our words, actions, and contributions to church and society will transform the world. When we see the full flowering of His work of grace, we will appreciate that in cooperating with it, these young people would in turn be the refuge, inspiration, and strength for others when they grow up.
So, let us make use of this life well. Our body is given to us so that we can use it in the service of love and for our personal growth in charity for God and for others. One day, we will be exiled from this body because our home is ultimately with the Lord, said St Paul. Until then, “whether we are living in the body or exiled from it, we are intent on pleasing him.” He also urges us: “We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s” (Romans 14:7f). As the psalmist says, “Planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God, still bearing fruit when they are old, still full of sap, still green, to proclaim that the Lord is just.”
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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