Deacon Tom Anthony

Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 92

Reading 1 Ez 17:22-24

Thus says the Lord GOD:
I, too, will take from the crest of the cedar,
from its topmost branches tear off a tender shoot,
and plant it on a high and lofty mountain;
on the mountain heights of Israel I will plant it.
It shall put forth branches and bear fruit,
and become a majestic cedar.
Birds of every kind shall dwell beneath it,
every winged thing in the shade of its boughs.
And all the trees of the field shall know
that I, the LORD,
bring low the high tree,
lift high the lowly tree,
wither up the green tree,
and make the withered tree bloom.
As I, the LORD, have spoken, so will I do.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 92:2-3, 13-14, 15-16

R. (cf. 2a) Lord, it is good to give thanks to you.
It is good to give thanks to the LORD,
to sing praise to your name, Most High,
To proclaim your kindness at dawn
and your faithfulness throughout the night.
R. Lord, it is good to give thanks to you.
The just one shall flourish like the palm tree,
like a cedar of Lebanon shall he grow.
They that are planted in the house of the LORD
shall flourish in the courts of our God.
R. Lord, it is good to give thanks to you.
They shall bear fruit even in old age;
vigorous and sturdy shall they be,
Declaring how just is the LORD,
my rock, in whom there is no wrong.
R. Lord, it is good to give thanks to you.

Reading 2 2 Cor 5:6-10

Brothers and sisters:
We are always courageous,
although we know that while we are at home in the body
we are away from the Lord,
for we walk by faith, not by sight.
Yet we are courageous,
and we would rather leave the body and go home to the Lord.
Therefore, we aspire to please him,
whether we are at home or away.
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ,
so that each may receive recompense,
according to what he did in the body, whether good or evil.

Alleluia

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The seed is the word of God, Christ is the sower.
All who come to him will live forever.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Mk 4:26-34

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.

My Brothers and Sisters,

 Because of our own experiences, it is easy to envision a harsh and judgmental God. Through the actions of others who claim to be bearers of that same judgment, this perception is enforced even more. Certain Scripture passages will be selected so as to promote a specific agenda while the rest of God’s Word will be ignored. The result is a separation of the Old Testament and the New Testament. Those who support a Punishing God will point to the Old Testament while those who profess a Loving God will magnate towards the New Testament. The result is a divisive, twisted version of the One who loves us completely and created us in His image. The overall message is lost in favor of a personal agenda and a personal perception. Agendas and perceptions are rooted in self-will and pride. For our own selfish motives and justifications, we can end up creating a God of our own understanding to enforce our own bad behaviors and faults.

Sacred Scripture is a love story between us and God. It is not meant to be defined so as to make ourselves feel comfortable with ourselves. It is meant to guide us and shape us; bringing us closer to God. We need to approach it with an open mind and an open heart; understanding that at its center is a message defined completely by love. In the First Reading today, Jesus is described as a tender shoot which will bring forth many branches and much fruit. The tenderness comes from a passive relationship and an experience of mutual love that is exchanged continuously between two persons: us and Christ. Each of us is one of those branches and the fruit we bring forth is our reaction to being loved. The fruit then nourishes everyone we come in contact with. Thus we are fed and then we feed others. There is no room for animosity, judgment, fear, and punishment. Yes, there will be corrections but even those come from love.

We all are in a constant state of growing and developing. In contrast to the natural order of things in the world, this growth never stops and we really don’t reach a point of maturity. The reason for this is that maturity would indicate a peak from which then there would be a slow decline and final end. As Children of God, we are eternal, thus our growth is eternal also. The harvest that Jesus mentions is a period of transformation from one state to another: the first which includes a physical presence while the latter brings forth a total spiritual state: the final victory over the corruption of the flesh and a new life. Through this we can be seen as caterpillars turning into butterflies. We will then be flying with Christ. There is no decay and final end but a new beginning.

Through our lives and our relationship with Jesus Christ, we are offered glimpses into what the future holds for us yet it is the present which holds the key to eternal joy. There is hope in the future but an understanding which cements us in the now. Whatever has been promised and whatever is to be is already here. The past, present, and future are all melded together through Jesus Christ. He was with us yesterday, is here now, and will be with us forever. The experience of Jesus changes through our deeper understanding of this concept. As Sacred Scripture says,

“Be still and know that I am God.”

In other words, “RELAX.” Everything will be alright.

The Kingdom of God is eternal. We are part of this kingdom and part of God’s Creation. Everything in the entire universe is pieced together in a perfect puzzle in which we are at its center. No, we are not at the top of the pyramid ruling over everything else even though we might act like we are. Instead, it is God’s love for us which makes us so important. When we express that love to other people and invite them in to a relationship with Jesus Christ is when the power of that love is fully realized. We are no longer alone and out for ourselves. Instead, everyone else and everything matters as much as us. Together we rise with Jesus Christ Leading the way. Joined together, there is nothing that can stop us and there is nothing we can’t do in the Name of Jesus Christ.

God wants what is best for us. God knows what is best for us. He will do for us and offer to us everything to insure we will we receive the best of everything. He doesn’t want to hurt us. He only wants to love us.

Deacon Tom