1st Reading: Ez 17:22-24
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 92:2-3,13-16
2nd Reading: 2 Cor 5:6-10
Gospel: Mk 4:26-34
Can anyone see what I am holding inside of my hand? I am sure that your answer is no because I am holding a small seed in the palm of my hand. With the vast size of this Church there would be no way to tell that this is a seed. If planted and taken care of properly this seed would eventually grow into a tree. If a tree was to grow right here each and everyone of you would be able to see it without a problem no matter how far back you happen to be sitting. Each of our readings from today's Mass deal with the vastness of our lives and how they should be held in relationship with God through faith. If your faith in God happens to be small then it would just about be impossible to see your faith. On the other hand if your faith in God is great it will become a beacon of God to the whole world. No matter where we find our faith today it can always grow into something more. The Church gives us many opportunities that we can take advantage of if we desire our faith in God to grow.
Each of us here has been given the tools needed to grow in our faith. There is not one person who is present here today who is so lacking in these tools that their faith cannot turn into something greater. In our Gospel we are told about the mustard seed and how from this little seed a large plant is able to grow. It is true that this will happen to the seed, but we must keep in mind that it must be taken care of. This seed will need to be nourished by the sun and by water if it is ever to take off and grow into something far superior then the tiny mustard seed. The mustard seed is like our faith in God because it must also be nourished and taken care of if we will ever be able to hope that it will grow into something that is strong and sturdy. If we deprive our faith of its nourishment it will never turn into something greater, but in time will die. The same goes for the mustard seed because without the nourishment that it will receive it will never grow into the massive plant, but will die.
Our reading from Ezekiel speaks about the mighty tree that has been grown. This mighty tree has been placed on top of a mountain and therefore all people can see the beauty of this tree. Despite how mighty this tree may seem as it towers above everything around it; the Lord remains mightier. At any moment this tree can be struck down and can be caused to wither and therefore without the assistance of the Lord would not be able to exist. Our faith relies upon the Lord and it must be grounded in worship to Him. We cannot expect to never give time to God and at the same time be able to be inside of a relationship with Him. We must allow ourselves to make time for God at every moment of our lives. The Church provides us with many tools where we can enter deeper into this reality and begin to take advantage of a relationship that is built upon a relationship with God. Prayer is the key and we have many ways where we can begin to grow inside of this area. The Rosary, adoration before the Blessed Sacrament, and the Mass are only a few ways that we can grow closer to God.
Saint Paul in his second letter to the Corinthians reminded all of us of our yearning to grow closer to the Lord. Each of us lives by faith and therefore we should do all in our power to nourish that faith, so that it may grow stronger. The ultimate form of nourishment that we can give to our faith is that of prayer. Once we begin to enter more and more into this important area of our lives we can finally let go of those areas that are holding us back in our growth of faith. This is indeed a very busy world that we live in and it can become easy for us to get caught up inside of the events of our everyday lives without ever making time for God. Finding time for prayer during the busy moments of our day is a must for each of us who are yearning to grow closer to the Lord. Once we allow our faith to be nourished by an authentic direction towards prayer we can finally go into the world and direct others towards Christ and His love.
Our faith therefore can place us on top of a high mountain for the world to see. If we are able to devote time to God in prayer it will become noticeable to those around us. People will look up at our ever developing faith and will feel drawn to share in the faith that we pocess. Each of the saints of the Church pocessed great faith in God that was unmovable and through that faith other people were drawn to follow after their example of holiness. These saints had to nurture their relationship with God every day and so they drew closer to Him through the use of an ever growing prayer life. This ability that we have to inspire other people in the faith is very important for us to hold up in high regard because when we go into the world and live out lives contrary to our faith we do it much damage. People know that we call ourselves Christian and see us acting out contrary to the life of a person with faith will never be drawn to the seriousness that exists within our faith.
Therefore my brothers and sisters in Christ may each of us grow into people of great faith. May we look into the vastness of our lives and see how we are drawn together by Christ. May we allow prayer to work within our lives, so that we may be drawn closer to God and His divine plan for us. Through drawing closer to God in this manner each of us can begin to grow in faith more and more with each day that passes. With our ever growing faith we can become a light that shines brightly from the darkness and invites others to come and join us in our great faith. When our faith is presented to the world in this manner there will no missing what is going on inside of our lives because it will be most evident what we stand for. We will be like the tree which is sturdy and unmoving in matters of faith because we gave time out of the busyness of our lives to give it much nourishment. May we continue to strive onward and nourish our faith through prayer because we will then be vigorous and sturdy in giving thanks to the Lord.
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