Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B June 17, 2018

FIRST READING
Ezekiel 17:22-24
I, the Lord, bring low the high tree and lift high the lowly tree.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Psalm 92:2-3,13-16
They that are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the
courts of our God.

SECOND READING
2 Corinthians 5:6-10
The lives of all are to be revealed before the tribunal of Christ.

GOSPEL READING
Mark 4:26-34
The reign of God is like a mustard seed.

Jesus said to the crowds:
"This is how it is with the kingdom of God;
it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land
and would sleep and rise night and day
and through it all the seed would sprout and grow,
he knows not how.
Of its own accord the land yields fruit,
first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.
And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once,
for the harvest has come."

He said,
"To what shall we compare the kingdom of God,
or what parable can we use for it?
It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground,
is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth.
But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants
and puts forth large branches,
so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade."
With many such parables
he spoke the word to them as they were able to understand it.
Without parables he did not speak to them,
but to his own disciples he explained everything in private.


BACKGROUND ON THE GOSPEL READING
After Lent, the Easter season, and three Sundays of feast
days--Pentecost, Most Holy Trinity, and Most Holy Body and Blood of
Christ--the Church returns to Ordinary Time. This Sunday's Gospel from
Mark carries a significant message regarding faith and the Kingdom of
God.

In Mark's Gospel, Jesus appears reluctant to reveal his identity as the
Son of God. After performing miracles of healing, he warns those cured
to tell no one (see Mark 1:44, 3:12, 5:43, 7:36, and 8:26). Also, when
preaching, Jesus chooses to speak to the crowds in parables, leaving
them to discern his message. Only to his disciples does he explain the
parable's meaning, and he does this in private at a later time.

Today's Gospel Reading consists of two parables about seeds. In the
first, Jesus tells those gathered that this is "how it is with the
kingdom of God." A man scatters seed which over time sprouts and
develops. Then when the grain is ripe, the man harvests his crop. The
emphasis in the parable is on the seed, which seemingly has the power to
grow on its own. In this it is like the Kingdom of God. While on earth,
Jesus planted the seeds of the kingdom by his life, miracles, teaching,
and suffering. However, the kingdom is not yet fully established.
Although already present in Jesus and his group of twelve, it has yet to
come to fruition; just as the seed in the parable needs time to grow, so
does God's kingdom.

The second parable focuses on the tiny mustard seed. Though not the
smallest of all seeds, it is most likely the smallest that a
first-century farmer in Jesus' part of the world would have sown. Small
as the mustard seed is, it develops into a tree. Though the mustard tree
generally averages only nine to twelve feet in height, it has a wide
expanse and provides a nesting place for birds. Just as the tree
welcomes the birds, so is God's kingdom welcoming and open to many.

These parables help us discern something about the kingdom of God and
our own faith. In God we live and move and have our being, but God is a
mystery and his kingdom, though present, has not yet come into its
fullness. Today, the Kingdom of God is present in the Church. The
mission of proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom given to the
Apostles is now given to us. But just as seeds need time to come to
fruition, so does the Kingdom of God. That is why in the Lord's Prayer,
we pray, "thy kingdom come." We know that it will come in its fullness
at the end of time. All we need is faith.


FAMILY CONNECTION
Church documents call the Christian family the "domestic church." This
is both a compliment and a call to commitment. Because the family is a
community formed in love and dedicated to the physical and spiritual
growth of its members, it is a miniature version of the Kingdom of God
on earth. This Sunday's Gospel Reading, Mark 4:26-34, consists of two
parables that Jesus used to help us discern the mystery of the Kingdom
of God. The beginning of the kingdom is compared to a tiny seed that
over time matures and ripens. Many of the things we do within the family
seem insignificant. They are part of our daily activity and attract
little attention. Yet they show our love and concern for one another.
According to the Gospel, it's these small things that yield big results,
acting as significant contributions to the growth of God's kingdom on
earth. The growth of the seed illustrates the nature and the results of
a strong faith.

Read aloud together the Gospel of Mark 4:26-34. Consider how your
family's concerns reflect the Church's concerns for those members who
are poor, forgotten, hungry, ill, shunned, or lonely. Together think of
a specific action that you can do to assist a person in your extended
family, neighborhood, or parish. Now pray together the Lord's Prayer,
pausing briefly to consider the import of the words "thy kingdom come."
Each evening this week as you gather for supper, share with one another
the simple acts of love you witnessed within the family that day.


Sources: Loyola Press; Sunday Readings