11th Sunday in Ordinary Time …Cycle B | Deacon Jim Thill
What story or parable might we use to emphasize “how it is with the Kingdom of God?”
What story or parable might we use to “compare the Kingdom of God?”
What are we to do…what’s our role in this “Kingdom of God?”
But before we come up with that parable or story…
-let’s see what preview there is in the Old Testament reading…
-let’s see what St. Paul needs for us to understand…
-let’s see what Jesus deems important for us to know.
***THEN***
-then we can discover what we are to do…what our role is.
READING 1 (Ezekiel 17:22-24)
-here is the preview of coming attractions…of what’s to come…in a nut shell.
-King Zedekiah is failing miserably as a king…and God will replace him.
-Under God’s chosen replacement…King Jehoiachin… the community will thrive and prosper.
-that’s the preview…
-God will provide a King for His people…
under this King the people of God will thrive and prosper…
and for us that King is JESUS!
READING 2 (2 Corinthians 5:6-10)
-what are we to understand?
-understand we are on a journey.
-this is not our true home.
-we are pilgrims on a journey…we are sojourners.
-our true home in in heaven.
***SO***
-we walk by faith…
-we live with courage…
-we are men and women of good words and good actions.
GOSPEL (Mark 4:26-34)
-the preview of reading one happened and is happening.
-Jesus the Good Shepherd…the Good King is providing for us.
-One of the ways He provides for us…is that Jesus has chosen to need us…to use us.
He has raised us up to be co-workers in His vineyard…
as co-workers we do what He calls us to do…we proclaim the good news.
Jesus will bring conversion to those who hear and receive this good news.
-Parable 1 in the Gospel…Scattering Seed…
-we proclaim…we scatter seed…in our words and actions…
kind…loving…gentle…encouraging…supporting words and action…
words and action that proclaim or reveal the truth.
-Jesus brings the growth…we call it conversion…the conversion of others.
-we proclaim…Jesus converts.
-Parable 2 in the Gospel…The Mustard Seed…
-I was at a conference in Minneapolis…
during an extended break I was browsing at the books for sale table…
an elderly man approached me and said,
“Young man have you ever seen a mustard seed?”
I responded that I had not.
He proceeds to pull out his bill fold…remove a yellowed envelope…
and pour the contents into the palm of his hand.
“There is a mustard seed” he says.
-I look and there is nothing in the palm of his hand.
I thought to myself this guy is having fun with me.
I responded that I didn’t see anything in the palm of his hand.
He proceeds to point out this really small seed in the crack of his palm.
-Jesus will build a kingdom from a small seed…
a kingdom where everyone is welcome and everyone is well cared for.
-Jesus is raising us up to be co-workers…He is asking us to bring what we have…
what we have is no more than a small mustard seed…offer it to Him…
and He will build a kingdom with that mustard seed.
-we bring our mustard seed to him when we offer ourselves to Him in this Mass…
when the bread and wine brought forth at the Offertory…
represent our offering of ourselves to Him…
and when we receive Him in the Eucharist
He gives us power…strength…grace to be co-workers.
-so what’s that parable or story I asked about in the beginning?
Napoleon’s top general…Marshall Marot’s mantra in life was…“Run to the sound of the guns.”
-when I first heard Dave Roth share that I thought that mantra was crazy…
-as I thought about it I realized that for a military man…victory…
being more than a conqueror…is only realized in the battle.
-so for we Christians should our mantra be, “Run to the need….Run to the need”
-this is how it is with the Kingdom of God.
-this is what the Kingdom of God is compared to.
-and in that Kingdom scripture tell us we have a role to play.
-SO RUN TO THE NEED!