Youth for Christ Sto. Tomas Cluster

01272012, Friday

Samuel 11:1-4, 5-10, 13-17, Psalm 51

Gospel: Mark 4:26-34

The Parable of the Growing Seed

Jesus went on to say, “The Kingdom of God is like this. A man scatters seed in his field.He sleeps at night, is up and about during the day, and all the while the seeds are sprouting and growing. Yet he does not know how it happens.The soil itself makes the plants grow and bear fruit; first the tender stalk appears, then the head, and finally the head full of grain. When the grain is ripe, the man starts cutting it with his sickle, because harvest time has come.”

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

“What shall we say the Kingdom of God is like?” asked Jesus. “What parable shall we use to explain it? It is like this. A man takes a mustard seed, the smallest seed in the world, and plants it in the ground. After a while it grows up and becomes the biggest of all plants. It puts out such large branches that the birds come and make their nests in its shade.”

Jesus preached his message to the people, using many other parables like these; he told them as much as they could understand.He would not speak to them without using parables, but when he was alone with his disciples, he would explain everything to them.

Photo by: Pam Llaguno

There’s something about astronomy that has always fascinated me. When I realize how small I am compared to the earth, the earth to the sun, and the sun to the other stars, there’s a feeling of marvel in the enormity of things. At the same time, there’s a feeling of insignificance and of being helplessly lost in trying to figure out what it is that I need to do in the grander scheme of things.

Jesus tells us there’s nothing wrong with being small. While we feel small and insignificant at times, he reminds us that the Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed – it starts small, but grows into a tree (or, biologically speaking, into a bush). However small we may seem now, it’s only because we have yet to be planted by the Lord and let His plans run into motion.

A seed on its own will not be able to grow; it needs a lot of other things for it to transform into the plant that it would be. To allow ourselves to be changed by God is like letting ourselves be planted – His presence and blessings would nourish us to become the person that He intends us to be. When we let God work through us and transform us and make us grow, we go beyond ourselves.

With that, may we allow ourselves to be nourished and transformed by the Lord; and to grow into tall, metaphorical mustard trees that would soon make a dent on the Universe.

Writer: Carlo Bontia | Artist: Pam Llaguno

via CFCYOUTHFORCHRIST.NET