Growing Kingdom

Today’s Gospel Text: He said therefore, "What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? 19 It is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his garden; and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches."  20 And again he said, "To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? 21 It is like leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened." Luke 13:18-21

Reflection: We understand better through comparisons and thus people may ask; like what or they may ask for an example. 

The difficulty is that a given comparison could either communicate a shallow meaning or a deeper meaning. Sometimes a shallow meaning communicated is itself a deeper thought and progressively can lead us still deeper into the depth of it.

But when it comes to expressing the richness of the kingdom of God, the deeper meaning is to be expected, and to reach the depth of the hidden meaning may never be easy without the help of the Holy Spirit.

In the two parables of today's Gospel passage Jesus explains the delicate increase of the Kingdom of God brought about unconsciously but surely, revealing its sublime power to do so. 

The history of the Church and its growth at great odds down the ages, beginning with the crucifixion of Christ its founder followed by the martyrdom of the apostles, is a clear sign of the fulfillment of this parable and its prophetic nature.

Just a seed planted by Christ Jesus and it has become a huge tree where every kind of people and nations have gathered to shelter under its branches and feed on its fruits.

And just a small measure of leaven and the church largely has spread with much violence against it; in fact the many saints and martyrs loosing themselves like leaven for the increase of the kingdom of God,

What is past has to be repeated in every age, for a seed and a leaven cannot loose its potency. Hence the un-evangelized world is a scandal and does not fulfill the mandate of Christ to proclaim the gospel to the whole world.

Prayer: Lord, grant us the faith to be your instruments to boldly proclaim Jesus as the only savior of all mankind.

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