Growing the Kingdom

From the Catholic Liturgy for the 11^th Sunday of Ordinary Time, June 17, 2018. Gospel: Mark 4:26-34. Theme: Growing the Kingdom.

Whether our experience with agriculture is as grade school students planting seeds in a Styrofoam cup or if we are avid gardeners with a green thumb, I think we can all easily relate to what Jesus is teaching us in today’s parables. By using farming as an example, Jesus is telling us is that growing the Kingdom, which means transforming the world beginning with ourselves, involves a partnership between us and God.

Jesus reminds us that the farmer does his limited part, but for all else, for the real life-giving things that nurture growth and support productivity, the farmer must totally depend upon God, who through nature provides sunlight, rain, and good soil. In the same way, we have a special responsibility to do our part – no matter how seemingly small or insignificant we think it might be – to plant the seed of the Gospel among others.  And then we must simply rely upon God to provide the sunlight of faith and the rain of the Holy Spirit to give life and growth to what we have planted by our words and witness among those with whom we live, work and socialize.

Jesus wants to grow the Kingdom of God in the world through us. He wants us to plant the seed of the Gospel in our surroundings, in our culture.  To do this, we need to keep in mind what Jesus means when he says “the Kingdom of God”.  It doesn’t refer to a place.  Rather, it means that God wants to be enthroned as King within all who will open their hearts to Him. He wants to establish His Lordship in each one of us. He wants to be present to others through us, making us the Kingdom’s ambassadors of peace, justice, mercy, compassion and truth. This is how God wants to change things for the better, to transform the world, person by person, heart by heart.

All of this is a big order, but if we go back to the farming parable we can find hope knowing that God will do the real work, the hard work. We simply have to be faithful to living our daily lives as authentic Christians, just like the farmer is faithful to sowing seed and then depending on God. So, I think there are some very important questions for each one of us to ask ourselves, as we ponder this parable and our participation in growing the Kingdom of God:

Am I living as a faithful Christian? Not just among those who share my beliefs, but at work, when I go to vote, when I have important social and moral conversations with peers.

Do I spend some time becoming familiar with the Scriptures, especially the Gospels and New Testament?  We need to know the Gospel if we intend to sow its seed. Pope Francis never tires of reminding us about the need for this daily encounter with the Word of God.

Am I mindfully and intentionally receiving the Sacraments of Eucharist and Confession in order to help me become more fertile soil for the seed of God’s Word?  Holy Communion is like nutrients for the seed, and Confession is like getting rids of the weeds that threaten to choke the seed. We have to be good and responsible farmers of our own spiritual life.

Do I cherish and thank God for my place in the Kingdom? Am I honored and humbled that the Lord who created the universe loves me so much that He chooses to dwell within me, and through me wants to reach out and touch those with whom I live, work and socialize.

In the Our Father that Jesus gave us, there are three simple words that are meant to remind us of this mission to the world that we have as Christians: Thy Kingdom Come! In the busy-ness of daily life it’s easy to forget about our part in growing the Kingdom, but maybe if we develop a habit of repeating this little prayer often throughout the day, it might become so embedded in our minds and hearts that it becomes like a personal motto for our everyday lives!