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Gospel text
Mark 4: 26-34 26 Jesus said to them: "God's world is like a person who puts his seed in the ground. 27 Whether asleep or awake, night and day, the seed germinates and grows without knowing how. 28 By its own dynamism, the seed bears fruit, first a simple grass that later becomes an ear of wheat, and finally displays full wheat in the ear. 29 When the seed has delivered its fruit, it's time to harvest and use the sickle." 30 Jesus also said to them, "What comparison should we use to talk about the God's world? What image should we use? 31 It's like a mustard seed which, when you put it in the ground, appears to be the smallest seed in the world. 32 But when it has reached full growth, it appears like the largest garden plant, so that its large branches allow the birds of the air to take shelter under its shade." 33 It was through all these images that Jesus conveyed his message to the people, insofar as they could understand. 34 So he never spoke to them without images, but only to his disciples could he explain everything in private. |
Studies |
![]() Who can determine the impact of such a move? |
Gospel commentary - Homily God's world, a world of conquest or healing? The war in Ukraine, the tragedy in Gaza or the ups and downs of American politics are making more noise than the thousands of initiatives springing from compassionate hearts, to the point of leading many to believe in the triumph of evil in our world. I'd like to tell you about a few of these initiatives that I recently heard about in the Montreal region of Quebec province. Let's start with the Blue House, a non-profit organization (NPO) that helps vulnerable pregnant mothers, where babies are monitored from the womb until they are 5 years old, and where doctors, social workers and psycho-educators are all involved. Someone like Cindy, born in Haiti, arrived in Montreal at the age of 5, became a child of the Director of Youth Protection (DYP) after being raped, beaten, then thrown out on the street at the age of 18, and now pregnant with her second child, alone and desperate, she has found at the Blue House a warm heart that listens, supports, cares, and this has transformed her life. Not only was she able to give birth to a beautiful daughter, but she recently graduated with a diploma of professional studies in institutional and home-based personal assistance care; she now gives back what she received at the Blue House. Let's move on to Little-Hands, an organization that helps immigrants. Co-founded by an immigrant from Lebanon, who was shocked by the attitude that immigrants are not seen as people capable of making a contribution to society, the organization offers training workshops in industrial sewing. In 25 years, it has contributed to the social integration of over 30,000 people. The placement rate for participants is exceptional. Although it aims to provide vocational training, the organization is above all a human experience. Women are welcomed with attentiveness, generosity and know-how. If need be, they can count on the help of social workers. Little-Hands has also set up a childcare center on its premises, primarily for the children of mothers undergoing training. Let's finish with PRAIDA, a Regional Program for the Settlement and Integration of Asylum Seekers. To understand its role, let's consider the story of Justine, an asylum seeker staying with a distant acquaintance, who kicked her out after 15 days. With empty pockets and stomachs, no resources and no bearings, Justine, who at the time didn't speak the language of her host country, saw no way out except suicide. As she hatched a plan to end it all, a passer-by noticed the erratic behavior of the young woman, who had just narrowly avoided being hit by a car. Running up to her and seeing the young woman's distress, she told her in English that she knew a place where she could get help. Although Justine refused to be helped, the passer-by insisted on giving her a bus ticket and the address of PRAIDA, and told her a lie: "They'll help you die there". Once there, but completely lost, she stumbles across a PRAIDA social worker, who was going out for her lunch hour and had noticed the young woman in tears. And so begins a rather extraordinary adventure, first giving her what she needed most - a night's rest and a hot meal - then helping her patch up her lost confidence, accompanying her to regain power over her life and climb the mountain. We show her the resources available, but it's up to Justine to build her own future. After just three weeks in emergency accommodation, resourceful Justine found an apartment to share. Today, she works in a government health center. I wanted to mention these three initiatives before turning to today's gospel, because they give a face to the theme of God's reign, which I like to call in more contemporary terms: God's world, the central theme of Jesus' preaching. For it is indeed a central theme, presented at the very beginning of the Gospel: "The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand: turn and believe in the Gospel" (Mk 1:15) (On this subject, see J.P. Meier). So what is this reign of God? The first image associated with this reign in Mark is that of a seed that grows on its own, without human intervention during the growth process. What does this mean? What is implied is that God is this force in the world, and the only place this force can be housed is in the human heart. The conclusion is that human beings are under pressure from a love that constantly wants to grow. If God is the source of this reign, then this reign needs us: we need harvesters to reap the wheat. That's why, in his initial preaching, Jesus says: convert, believe in the Gospel, i.e. change your way of seeing things, really believe in this force at work in the world, and do everything you can to cooperate with it. But our great difficulty is to accept that this process is very slow, like nature, which gradually goes through different phases. The second image associated with this reign is that of the mustard seed. In the Jewish world, it was seen as the smallest seed in the garden. This contrasts with its mature status as the largest vegetable plant. Clearly, the image expresses the contrast between the humble beginnings of Jesus' ministry and its subsequent impact. The final image of birds under the shade of its foliage is taken from the prophet Ezekiel (17:22-24), which refers to the restoration of God's people and the fact that one day the peoples of the universe will come to find protection under its shade. In this way, the image warns that just because we don't see anything, or what we see is very small, doesn't mean that nothing is happening. It expresses the hope that this world of God will eventually join the whole universe. What does it all mean? There's something false and mistaken when some says: "Let's implement the reign of God". It's false and mistaken, because this desire is first and foremost an expression of human beings' desire for control and power. Christianity was born by the force of Emperor Constantine, and the desire to maintain it has nothing to do with the reign of God. It's distressing to hear Christian fundamentalists in the U.S. express their desire to take control of what they call the seven mountains our societies: politics, economics, family, religion, arts and entertainment, and the media. God's reign is first and foremost God's loving initiative, not a human project, as the first parable affirms; our role is simply to reap what God has willed to sow. To want to implement God's reign, as if it were necessary to create a separate society, is equally false and mistaken, because God's reign is first and foremost a work of healing in an existing society. Traditional theology spoke of a religion of salvation. All this is well expressed in Luke 10:9: "Heal the sick and tell them, 'The kingdom of God has come near'". Let's return to the three initiatives mentioned at the beginning of this commentary. For me, they are examples of that seed in the ground that grows and transforms. It's a force of love and compassion that is moved by human misery. Our role is to consent to this force, to cultivate it, to accept that it is a priority. We might think that all these local initiatives are a drop in the world's bucket. But the second parable reminds us that just because something is small doesn't mean it won't have a big impact. We forget that Jesus was something of a simple village preacher, and for a period of only two and a half years. Today's Gospel is a great source of hope for me. When I feel crushed by all the horrors in the world, I am reminded that there is in this same world a tremendous force of love, a love to which Jesus bore witness, and which he assures us makes its way into the human heart, despite the fact that it seems so small. The Gospel also reminds me that it's not up to me to carry the whole world on my shoulders. That's God's job. My role is to contribute to what he sows in the human heart. But to do that, I have to believe that he has sown something, I have to be able to see what is very small, I have to believe that his impact will be immense.
-André Gilbert, Gatineau, April 2024
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