16th Sunday in Ordinary Time

In today’s gospel, Matthew 13:24-43, we have a continuation of last week’s gospel in which we are presented with three new parables comparing the kingdom of heaven to a field planted with wheat and weeds, a mustard seed and yeast. Wheat, weeds, seeds and yeast were common, everyday images for the people listening to Jesus. As I have reflected on these images over the years it occurred to me that with the exception of weeds and yeast many people here in Peachtree City may never have seen a field of wheat or a mustard tree. A number of years ago I tried to come up with a few more relevant images like popping corn or a tweet. They didn’t work very well. However, today as I reread the gospel an entirely new idea smacked me in the face. The kingdom of heaven is like anything that grows and matures. The message is that the kingdom is not static or stagnant. The kingdom of heaven is in constant movement growing, expanding, adjusting just like we are.

On a microcosmic level most of the cells in our bodies are growing and dividing all the time. They don’t stop until we die. We don’t feel or see our cells changing but we know it is happening. And on the macrocosmic level the universe in which we live is constantly expanding. Again, we don’t feel or see the expansion of the universe but we “know” it is happening thanks to Dr Edwin Hubble (and Buzz Lightyear).

So, what does this mean for us? All of us are invited to become citizens of the kingdom. The choice is ours. However, with heavenly citizenship comes responsibility. If yeast is stale, it provides no leavening and so we throw it away. If seeds don’t germinate, nothing grows. It’s the same for us. If we want to be active citizens of the kingdom of heaven, we must nurture the yeast, the seeds and our faith. Last week’s first reading from Isaiah 55:10-11 sums it up: “Thus says the Lord: Just as from the heavens the rain and snow come down and do not return there until they have watered the earth, making it fertile and fruitful, giving seed to the one who sows and bread to the one who eats, so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; my word shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it.”

The kingdom of heaven is fulfilling the word of God. This is something we pray for every time we repeat the Our Father, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt 6:9-10). As we go about our daily lives here in Peachtree City, let’s all remember our responsibility to live up to the challenge.

With a love that is both powerful and patient, O God,

you sustain the growth of the good seed your Son has planted. 

 Let your word, like a mustard seed,

bear rich fruit within us,

and like a little yeast,

produce its effects throughout the whole church.

Thus may we dare to hope

that a new humanity will blossom and grow

to shine like the sun in your kingdom

when the Lord of the harvest returns

at the end of the age.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

God for ever and ever. 

 AMEN

 

Be Humble or You'll Stumble

Lincoln once got caught up in a situation where he wanted to please a politician, so he issued a command to transfer certain regiments. When the secretary of war, Edwin Stanton, received the order, he refused to carry it out. He said that the President was a fool.

Lincoln was told what Stanton had said, and he replied, "If Stanton said I'm a fool, then I must be, for he is nearly always right. I'll see for myself." He did, and when Stanton convinced him the order was in error, Lincoln quietly withdrew it.

Part of Lincoln’s greatness lay in his ability to rise above pettiness, ego, and sensitivity to other people’s opinions. He wasn’t easily offended. He welcomed criticism, and in doing so demonstrated one of the strengths of a truly great person: humility.

So, have you been criticized? Make it a time to learn, not lose.”

~ Patience Johnson

God's Will

God gives us choices – it's God’s will that we should have free choices. Maybe God doesn’t have the same control issues we do. God’s will for us is to make wise and healthy and loving choices. Abundant Grace accompanies the gift of free will. We call that “the power to carry it out”. God still leaves it up to us to accept the Grace and to accept God’s will. The consequence of not accepting the Grace is known as an "unmanageable life."

Loch Ness

An atheist was fishing on Loch Ness when suddenly his boat was attacked by the Loch Ness monster. With an easy flip, the beast tossed his boat high into the air and then opened its huge mouth to catch him. As he sailed into the sky, he cried, “Oh, God! Help me!” At once, the ferocious scene froze! As the atheist hung there in mid-air a booming voice came out of the clouds: “I thought you didn’t believe in Me!” “Come on, God. Give me a break!” pleaded the man. “A minute ago I didn’t believe in the Loch Ness monster either!”

Life

We may never get what we want,
We may never want what we get,
We may never have what we like.
We may never like what we have.

Still we Live and Love.

This is life.

Consider the Fish

When you think you control something, you’re wrong.

It’s amazing how often we think we’re in control of something when really we aren’t.

Control is an illusion, as I’ve said many times before.

We constantly make plans that never actually turn out the way we envisioned. ‘If you want to make God laugh, make a plan,’ an old saying goes….

Consider the fish. A fish swims in a chaotic sea that it cannot possibly control — much as we all do. The fish, unlike us, is under no illusion that it controls the sea, or other fish in the sea. The fish doesn’t even try to control where it ends up — it just swims, either going with the flow or dealing with the flow as it comes. It eats, and hides, and mates, but does not try to control a thing.

We are no better than that fish, yet our thinking creates the need for an illusion.

Let go of that thinking. Learn to be the fish.

- Leo Babauta

Lord,

Take my life and let me live serenely for today.
Open my mind to happy thoughts.
Take away my self-pity, I don’t want it.
Take away my ill will towards others.
Make it possible for me to feel joy, love, and compassion.
Help me to accept what is, to hold my tongue, to do my daily task, and to let go with love.
Take away my worry about the future.
Make me realize that in your hands everything will be provided.
Help me to understand that I have no control over anything but my own actions.
Make me know that today is precious and will soon be gone.
Help me to remember that all hatred and pain directed toward me are the hatred and pain the other person is feeling toward himself.
Thank you for your willingness to accept my burden and lighten my load.

~~ Unknown