Watching my oldest daughter graduate
from high school last Tuesday, I realized how blessed I am that both of my
daughters are kind, compassionate, successful young women. I have no idea how that happened. Most recent polling data based on the number
of eye rolls and heavy sighs I receive would suggest that I’m a complete
failure at fatherhood. But I must be doing something right; otherwise Caitlin and Annie would eat like
savages, their grammar would be deplorable, and they wouldn’t know the
difference between a macaroon and a macaron.
But can little things like those really have contributed to how well my
girls have turned out? Apparently they
can, because our readings teach us that little things mean a lot.
Our first reading and our Gospel
strike an agricultural theme to teach us about the Kingdom of God. Ezekiel uses the image of a majestic cedar
growing from a tender shoot to explain how God will cultivate his Kingdom from just
a small remnant of the tribes of Israel.
And in our Gospel, Jesus reminds us that God’s Kingdom is present among
us in small and hidden ways and that we have to trust that it will flourish and grow, even though we
may have no idea how it happens.
When we speak of God’s Kingdom, we’re
talking about nothing less than the everlasting reign of God’s justice, love
and peace. As Saint Paul tells us in
Romans, the Kingdom of God is “righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
(Romans 14: 17) Christ inaugurated the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth to
enable us to share in God’s own divine life.[1] In other words, through Christ, we’re called
to live God’s Kingdom right now. That
sounds great, but obviously justice, love and peace aren’t reigning eternally in
the world today. Well, both parables confirm
that “the kingdom is present in
minute, hidden form [like] a ‘seed’, [and] that it will be shown in its full
glory in the future.”[2] The Kingdom of God is in our midst, but there’s a lot more to come.
So what do we do in the meantime? We continue to sow the seeds of God’s Kingdom
in our broken world, even when our small efforts may seem futile, and we continue
to trust that God’s seed will bear abundant fruit. “Our job is to till and sow and then look on
in wonder as God brings it to fruition.”[3] How do we sow the seeds of God’s
Kingdom? We live as Jesus taught us. We cultivate God’s Kingdom when we praise, we
bless, we adore, we glorify, and we give thanks to God the Almighty Father; we
cultivate God’s Kingdom when we profess in word and deed that all lives matter from conception to
natural death; we cultivate God’s Kingdom when we donate school supplies, coats,
diapers and canned goods for our brothers and sisters who need them; and we especially cultivate God’s Kingdom when
we teach our children to do the same through our own good example. These simple gestures may seem too small to
make any difference, but that’s the point of our readings: Little things mean a lot. It’s the cumulative effect of all of our
small efforts that will, in the end, produce an amazing result.[4] As one Biblical commentator put it, “God’s
kingdom grows surprisingly out of common and ordinary seed.”[5]
Now, our
readings also teach us that God’s Kingdom will come about whether we participate
or not. If that’s the case, then why
should we bother doing anything at all if God will bring his Kingdom to
fruition anyway? Allow me to propose two
reasons: First, Saint Paul pulls no
punches in our second reading when he tells us that we will be judged for our
actions: “[W]e 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.” (2 Corinthians 5: 10) I’ll bet that got you’re your attention! Scripture is clear: we will all be judged at the end of our days
based on how well we lived our lives during our time on this planet. The only way to guarantee our place in heaven
is to sow the seeds of God’s Kingdom while we still have time.
Now, if final judgment isn’t enough to convince you,
then how about the simple fact that doing good makes us happy? When we do good, when we sow the seeds of God’s
Kingdom, our lives have purpose and meaning.
Current research in psychology confirms what saints and philosophers have
long known: “Living a life of meaning and purpose is the key in the happiness
quest.”[6] As our Psalm tells us, “The just one shall flourish
(Psalm 92:13).” Even if all we can sow
is the smallest of seeds, we’ll be much happier for it, because happiness
begets more happiness. Little things
mean a lot. As John Harriman put it, “Happiness
held is the seed. Happiness shared is
the flower.”
On the afternoon of the September 11th
attacks, my wife, Jessica, asked me how we could bring our then 13-month old
daughter into such a terrible world. Without
hesitation I said, “Maybe she’s the one who’s going to fix it.” Watching Caitlin graduate from high school
last Tuesday, I realized that I was right.
Caitlin, Annie and so many wonderful people like them, young and old,
are fixing our broken world every day through generosity, compassion,
impeccable grammar and proper table manners.
While they may not know how God will turn their good deeds into abundant
fruit, they continue to sow the seeds of God’s Kingdom in their own small ways,
and the world is better for it. Little
things mean a lot.
[1]
Catechism of the Catholic Church 541.
[2]
C.M. Tuckett, “Mark,” The Oxford Bible
Commentary, John Barton and John Muddiman, eds. (Oxford, Oxford University
Press, 2001) p. 896 (emphasis added).
[3]
Michael Simone, “God Gives the Increase,” America
Magazine, vol. 218, no. 3 (June 11, 2018) p. 58.
[4]
William Barclay, The Gospel of Mark (Louisville,
Westminster John Knox Press, 2001) p. 127.
[5]
Marie Noonan Sabin, “The Gospel According to Mark,” New Collegeville Bible Commentary, New Testament, Daniel Durken,
ed. (Collegeville, Liturgical Press, 2009) p. 123.
[6]
Nicholas Kardaras, “Keys to Happiness: Feeling Good or Doing Good?” Psychology Today (April 29, 2011), https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/how-plato-can-save-your-life/201104/keys-happiness-feeling-good-or-doing-good.
