Brothers and Sisters – As Saint Paul tells us in our second reading, we will all one day appear before Jesus Christ and be judged. This is an inescapable fact for those all of humankind, for those who believe, for those who are searching, and for those who refuse to believe. One day we will all be accountable. Saint Paul goes further to say, that as we walk in the body, we are away from the Lord, and even goes so far as to say that those who realize this and long for the leaving of the body behind to be with our God are in fact courageous. I think this perspective often eludes many of us, because we are so entrenched in this life, that we forget the true purpose of this physical existence – we forget this is a brief time of testing for something immeasurably greater than what we currently know.
So how do we get from being so focused on this life, to becoming more centric to the eternal life point of view? Like most things, that first step is usually the most difficult. For someone who struggles with belief, there will come a point when a decision must be made, and a leap of faith taken. This can be very difficult, yet thankfully what is so difficult for us sometimes, can be overcome by our Lord’s intervention. What seems sometimes impossible to us, is as effortless for our Lord as the plucking of a branch, and from this branch when immersed in good soil which our Lord will also guide us toward, will come growth. This growth in the spirit and in faith can often take many unusual turns in its process. We simply cannot conceive of the tools and ways that God has at His disposal to accomplish this in even the most seemingly difficult situations and cases. For us it is hard to sometimes fathom how different our perspective is from His, and our ways so limited compared to His. Yet He is the one who can read the mind and heart of even the most seemingly unapproachable of his creations and when the time is right bring them to a whole new direction in life.
When we hear of the parable of the mustard seed, it is often difficult for us to sometimes grasp the physical matter involved and so then suitably compare it to the spiritual purpose behind this parable. It is difficult because we do not live in an agrarian society, and so therefore often cannot fully appreciate what is being said. However, I can tell you that a mustard seed is truly a tiny seed, and that it grows into so large a shrub is a truly remarkable outcome for such a limited beginning. Yet this is so often how it happens for us, the tiniest of seeds of revelation can indeed grow into faith that is substantial and very deeply rooted, and this very often comes to fruition in some of the most seemingly unlikely beginnings. It only seems unlikely to us, because we cannot see the content of the mind and heart the way our Lord can, if that were possible our perspectives too would be radically different, and the seemingly hopeless would appear to us as having the potential for being tremendously fruitful. This would apply when looking at others, but also in the way we look at ourselves. How often have we heard someone say – “Oh I could never be a church goer, not after all the things I have done”. Guess what, we’ve all done things, perhaps those very people who are so seemingly conscious of their faults, feel that way because they are just very attuned to their own shortcomings, and in being so are the very ones that God seeks because He knows that once they make that first leap, the soil that is there is very rich through this self-awareness and will yield a great harvest. God can make some of the most effective tools from the most unlikely sources, He’s proven that time and again – Saint Paul himself would; I suspect heartily agree, and if we are honest with ourselves so would most of us who call ourselves his followers.
The Deacons Bench 