Grow To Your Full Potential as a Disciple
In today’s Gospel reading Jesus continues relating parables of seeds, weeds, and yeast which He uses to describe the kingdom of heaven. Good timing, since we are right in the middle of our own local growing season.
Today’s first parable expresses the small beginnings of the reign of God (the spread of the faith, the church). While the seeds of wheat begin to grow, the enemy spreads seeds of weed (people of falsehoods, lies, and evil). Evil is co-existing with good. Yet, to pull out the evil growth, might result in uprooting the good growth. Yes, there is the possibility that the evil might overpower the good, at least for a time. Yet, there is also the possibility that the good may have a positive effect on the evil (at least as far as the moral growth of humans). God wants to give another chance to those who started out as a “bad seed”. There will come the ultimate time (death) when growth is complete, then the harvesters will have to separate the bad from the good and consequences will be handed out. “First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning; but gather the wheat into my barn.” (Matt 13:30)
In the second parable we hear of the mighty mustard seed. “It is the smallest of all the seeds, yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants.” (Matt 13:32) Just think about it. Contained in that tiny seed is the potential to become a full tree. In a similar way, the Lord tells us that if we even have a little bit of faith in Him, we have the potential to become everything He intends us to be. We are all equipped with this potential. Yet some grow and some do not. If you starve the seed of your faith, it will die. Those that get watered regularly (Mass and prayer) and those that exist in good soil (Christian family and community, engaged in works of charity) thrive and become fully alive and people are drawn to them. Strive to achieve your potential!
Finally, in the third parable we hear of how only a small bit of yeast can leaven a whole loaf of bread. Without anyone knowing how, the leaven goes about working silently until the whole mass is fermented. In a similar way, one committed follower of Christ can change a whole community and maybe the whole world (St. Paul, St. Francis, St. Mother Teresa).
We start off from small beginnings (only a small seed, a bit of yeast) and we face challenges along the way for both good and evil have the potential to grow. But If we water and feed our faith and allow the Spirit to give us growth, we can be part of the good growth, the rich harvest, the raised loaf. The richness of our loving God’s mercy and kindness will be with us. God will help us to grow into the fullness of who we can be, both as individuals and as members of a faith community and, at the end of our lives here on earth, we can be confident that we will be gathered, like the wheat, into His barn.
God bless you folks, Father Gerard.
