HIDDEN REALITIES – 11th Sunday Ordinary Time, Year B
Nature has many mysteries and processes going on that we are not always aware of, and don’t fully understand. We can live through periods of history, and only later realize what was going on. People in their 50’s, 60’s and 70’s watch or read about events of thirty, forty or fifty years ago, which we lived through, but were not fully aware of all that was taking place. We can live through periods in our own life, and in looking back on them, get insights into what was happening or going on, of which we were not fully aware of at the time. The full revelation will only come to us in eternity!
Among the most important realities present in the world, and which we may not be aware of or always be conscious of, is the reign of God. The reign of God is spiritual and its presence is not known or discerned by everyone. But it’s most important to know its presence, and to be part of the reign or kingdom of God, and to let it grow and unfold in our life. The presence of the reign of God means the Lord is present and active. What could be more important?
Jesus comes and says: “Let me tell you about the reign of God. It’s among the most important realities of my revelation to you.” The reign of God is a reality that only God can bring about. Humans can’t bring in the kingdom. We can respond to the reign of God and work to create the conditions to make ourselves and others more responsive to God’s kingdom-reign. It’s good to know it’s God’s work! We are not responsible for bringing in the reign of God. Each one is responsible for his or her response of acceptance or rejection of the kingdom, of living or not living the life of the kingdom-reign of God, and of proclaiming the reign of God. The Lord speaking through Ezekiel said He would take a tender shoot and plant it, and it would grow. The emphasis is on what God does.
The reign of God is a spiritual reality and mystery. We can get some idea of what it’s like through images in nature. Jesus had to struggle to find ways to explain something spiritual so we can begin to understand. The Spirit helps us discern spiritual realities spiritually through the gift of faith. As St. Paul instructs us: “We walk by faith, and not by sight”.
One of the images Jesus used was a farmer scattering seed on the ground. The farmer goes through his days, and is not too aware of the growing seed. A lot of days can be that way. It seems like nothing much is happening. Some may describe their days as boring, frustrating, or useless. Yet there are many processes working in our lives. The farmer goes to bed and gets up day after day and goes through his routine. “Through it all the seed sprouts and grows without his knowing how it happens.” A lot of life is just routine, and needs to be. And through the routine of life people grow in many different ways.
Eventually the farmer can see the work of the seeds, and the time of harvesting comes. The time between sowing and reaping, the time of growing, can seem like the longest. The processes of sowing, growing, and reaping go together. Many of life processes follow that pattern. Jesus’ second image about the reign of God is the mustard seed, which is one of the smallest. It takes a while for its presence to be known. But it grows to be a ten-foot tree.
Just as nature and our human persons gradually work their way through the stages of growth to maturity, so too the reign of God. Many processes in nature and in our human persons and lives are taking place and moving toward fulfillment even if we are not aware of them, or don’t see too much growth in a day.
The coming of the kingdom-reign of God is among the most important realities of life, which the Lord taught us to pray for in His prayer. “Thy kingdom come” is a mystery and reality already present and growing toward fulfillment. The more we are aware of the processes of human life and the reign of God, the more exciting life is. Those who only are aware of what they can see physically miss a lot of life, and may think there’s not much going on. The parables and images of Jesus can keep us aware of the hidden and growing presence of the kingdom-reign of God, which will continue to grow and spread until its fulfillment.
Like the great processes of nature, the kingdom-reign of God is very active!
Comments