Homily for the Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

“But Once It Is Sown, It Springs Up And Becomes The Largest of Plants”

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara CSsR

Homily for the Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

St. Gerard Majella Catholic Church

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

June 17, 2012

Mustard seeds are small round seeds of various mustard plants. They are so small that they can easily be overlooked or ignored. In Palestine, a grain of mustard seed proverbially stood for the smallest possible thing. But when these seeds are planted in the proper conditions which includes a cold atmosphere and a relatively moist soil, they grow and mature into noticeable and easily seen plants. Mustard seeds are so small and tiny but the height of their plants can overtop a horse and its rider. Birds love mustard plants for two reasons: the little black seeds of mustard are sources of food for them; and the plants provide shades for them. The mustard seeds is also good for humans as well. They are rich sources of oil and protein. 

In today’s Gospel taken from Mark 4:26-34, Jesus compared the Kingdom of God to a mustard seed. When these tiny seeds of the Kingdom are sown, this time, not in the ground, but in lives that have been grounded by fear, uncertainty, unspeakable hardship, abject poverty etc. they can spring up and become the largest of all. When the  seeds of the Kingdom of God- the Word of God, the Word of love is sown in lives that have been grounded by drugs, violence, murder, abuse of substance, rape, abandonment, racism, discrimination and prejudice etc, God is capable of turning the tiny seeds into something mighty. The mustard seed is a very small seed; but its plant is not the smallest in a wood. The seeds of the Kingdom of God, no matter how small it is, is capable of turning someone around. An individual who once felt invisible in the society, an individual who was once defined only in relations to drugs and alcohol and violence can rediscover who he or she is when the seeds of the Kingdom have been planted in him or her. My God is capable of using these tiny seeds to transform and change lives. With this, a drug addict can be a God addict. A criminal who break into people’s homes when the police is not watching and when no one is watching can become a watchman of the household of God. An alcohol abuser can be drunk with the Holy Spirit. A life destroyer can be life-saving and a life saver. A guilty and a convicted criminal can be innocent again before God. Even a prisoner in jail can be truly free even in jail. The Gospel of John 8:36 says, “Whoever has been set free by the Son of Man is truly free.”  And in Luke 4:18, Jesus says, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor, to set the captives free, for the restoration of sight to the blind and release to the oppressed.” 

Sisters and brothers, the spreading and the planting of these tiny seeds have just started in our Church and in our community. This past week, I have been working with Mama Siebel, Brother Gene and the two Redemptorist Seminarians on summer apostolic work (Ashford and Son). We have been going round the neighborhood spreading these tiny seeds of the Kingdom. Some of you may have seen us on TV, specifically on Channel 9. The goal is not media attention or publicity. The goal is to tell everyone that God is still in this neighborhood. Jesus is still present in 70805 zip code. Our goal is to reach out, to touch, and to invite our neighbors to our Church. We want these tiny seeds of the Kingdom to reach everywhere in this community. Yes, what we are doing is as small and tiny as the mustard seed; but it is God who will do whatever he wants to do with our work. Our task is to spread these tiny seeds of the Kingdom and then allow God to nurture them to fruition. God has a way of turning this around. This community, this neighborhood in the eyes of many, especially the faithless, may be falling apart, but God will bring everything altogether. I believe that when things are falling apart, they may be falling together anew. A grain of wheat cannot germinate unless it dies. And when it dies, it germinates and produces new plant. This community cannot be saved by the police alone. The watchful eyes of the police cannot save anybody. Only God can save! When people accept the message of Jesus Christ, their lives will be different. Their views will change; their lifestyles will change; their values will change; their orientation will change. In the long run, they will reject violence and all forms of criminality. And the society will be safe again. 

I know that this is a very daunting task. But in today’s Gospel, Jesus used the parable of the mustard seed to teach us not to be daunted by small beginnings. We should not allow the enormity of the task to scare us. Our task is to spread the seeds of the Kingdom and leave the rest to God. What we have started doing, at the moment may not even produce any significant effect, but if we stay on course, and refuse to give up, God can cause these tiniest seeds to spring up and become shrubs. 

So, if you believe in this project, please join me. If you believe that our parish must reach out to our neighborhood, please join me. If you believe that we need to increase our membership, please join me. If you believe in evangelization, please join me. If you are truly a disciple of the Lord, then join me in this task of spreading the mustard seeds of God’s Kingdom. Jesus wasn’t a sanctuary priest. He went about spreading the good news of God’s Kingdom.  The call to evangelization is a call to every Catholic- clergy and laity. In the Gospel of Matthew 28:20, Jesus said, “Go, therefore and make disciples of all nation, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”