June 16, 2024
Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B)
The message from today’s readings may seem obscure at first glance. This is because both passages are filled with hidden meanings in the form of metaphors and parables. Nonetheless, if we look at the symbolism carefully, we find that they hold a deep message about God’s love for His people and the workings of His church in the world.
In the First Reading (Ezek. 17:22-24) we hear the Lord speaking through the prophet Ezekiel. He tells the people that because of their apostasy and idol worship and neglectful treatment of the underprivileged of Israel, they will suffer destruction by the mighty empire of Babylon. This warning is found in the first part of the passage where the people are described as a vine cultivated by God, a metaphor commonly found in the Old Testament. Due to their crimes, a great eagle, the king of Babylon, will plunder the fruit of their branches and uproot them causing them to whither in exile.
Yet, in His infinite mercy, God reassures the people they will once again be restored and planted on their lofty mountain which is Jerusalem. From a tender shoot, they will not only flourish but grow into a majestic cedar with many branches that bear fruit. It will be such a high and lofty tree that birds of every kind will find shelter in its boughs. And all the trees of the field, representing every nation that surrounds Israel, will know that it was the Lord who has saved them.
In the Gospel for today (Mk 4:26-34) Jesus uses a similar type of metaphor about a thriving plant cultivated by God. This one he compares to the kingdom of God in two different parables. In one Jesus compares the kingdom to a mustard seed that, once sown, becomes just like the plant of Ezekiel: “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.” (Mk. 4:32). With this part of the passage, Jesus is describing the seed of his word which he has revealed to his disciples.
In the other parable of the passage, Jesus goes on to qualify the mysterious way by which this seed is planted and grows. It is scattered by a man, it would seem haphazardly, and while the man sleeps, the seed sprouts and grows of its own accord, without the man knowing how. However, once the grain becomes ripe with fruit, the man then takes an active role: “He wields the sickle at once, for the harvest has come.” (Mk. 4:29).
Although enigmatic, what Jesus is doing with this parable is preparing his disciples for the time when they will proceed to establish his church in his absence. As we know from the stories of the book of Acts, the disciples – Peter, James, John, and the others – often met extreme hardships in spreading the good news of the Gospel. In fact, all but one, the Beloved Disciple John, were martyred in their work for Christ and the Church.
However, just as with the parable, without them knowing, the seed planted in them by Jesus, which they cultivated, eventually sprouted into a worldwide institution which has prevailed for over two-thousand years. Not only this, but it has also welcomed every “bird” present on earth, that is every person regardless of nationality, economic level, or political association. This is because, although the disciples put forth every human effort possible, it was the ultimately the Lord’s work which overcame and conquered all of the obstacles.
This is a message which is still very applicable for Christians today. We are now living in the days of the Church, the kingdom of God here on earth planted by Christ and cultivated by his disciples. But like any plant in a garden, our Church cannot continue to thrive without diligence and care. It calls for us to be steadfast to our attendance at Mass and devotion to the Eucharist. It obliges us to take responsibility for the neglect we see happening in our communities. It necessitates that we stand against political corruption and injustice in our society. And it encourages us to work toward unity among Christians. Most of all it requires that we recognize that it is, in the long run, the workings of the Lord through the power of the Holy Spirit which graciously maintains and promotes our efforts.
It is so fitting that we find yet another metaphor from today in the psalm that we pray. It perfectly describes the work that can be accomplished if we tend the garden of God’s kingdom with love and persistence:
“The just ones shall flourish like the palm tree, like a cedar of Lebanon shall they grow. They that are planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall bear fruit even in old age; vigorous and sturdy shall they be, declaring how just is the LORD, the rock, in whom there is no wrong.” (Ps. 92:13-16).
