Small Beginnings

𝐉𝐔𝐋𝐘 𝟐𝟖, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓: 𝐒𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐇 𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐊 𝐈𝐍 𝐎𝐑𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐑𝐘 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄

𝟏𝐒𝐓 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐄𝐱𝐨 𝟑𝟐:𝟏𝟓-𝟐𝟒, 𝟑𝟎-𝟑𝟒

𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐦: 𝐏𝐬𝐚 𝟏𝟎𝟔:𝟏𝟗-𝟐𝟑 “𝐆𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝, 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐇𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝.”

𝐆𝐎𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐋: 𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐓 𝟏𝟑:𝟑𝟏-𝟑𝟓

𝑲𝒆𝒚 𝑽𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒆: “𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒅𝒐𝒎 𝒐𝒇 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒊𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒂 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒕…” (𝒗.33)

         Today’s Gospel passage should be viewed with great interest for it was here that Jesus began to make full use of parables as his method of teaching. But even before this passage, his previous teachings already had some traces of a parable in it and we can see this in his teaching on the salt and light (𝐌𝐭 𝟓:𝟏𝟑-𝟏𝟔), the birds in the sky and lilies of the field (𝐌𝐭 𝟔:𝟐𝟔-𝟑𝟎), the wise and foolish builders (𝐌𝐭 𝟕:𝟐𝟒-𝟐𝟕), garments and wineskins (𝐌𝐭 𝟗:𝟏𝟔-𝟏𝟕), and of the children playing in the marketplace (𝐌𝐭 𝟏𝟏:𝟏𝟔-𝟏𝟕).

         These are what we may view as the beginning of his teachings in parables which are illustrations that allow listeners to discover the truth for themselves. Jesus knew it would be difficult to tell the Jews the truth especially when it differs with what they have become used to and the use of parables puts the Jews in a position to discover the truth themselves.

         To add to our understanding of what a parable is, we should bear in mind that a parable, as told by Jesus, was spoken and it brings out only one point which means that its effect and or influence once it is heard must be immediate as it brings out the truth just as when a lightning suddenly flashes on the sky.

         So today Jesus uses another parable to illustrate how big things start from small beginnings and as he equates the Kingdom of Heaven with a mustard seed. The mustard seed, however, is not the smallest of seeds because the seed of the cypress tree is even smaller but in the time of Jesus the mustard seed was proverbial for smallness.

         The point that Jesus wanted to make was clear in that the Kingdom of Heaven starts from a tiny seed which in the fullness of time will become a shelter for many nations and people. Even historically, many of the greatest things we have come to know began from small and humble beginnings.

         Take for example the church that Christ established out of the seed that he planted in his 12 Apostles and other disciples and which literally grew into the One, Holy, Apostolic and Catholic church that we now have. Close to home, we are reminded of the history of the Bukas Loob sa Diyos Covenant Community (Open in Spirit to God) which came into being in 1985 as a prayer group that conducts Marriage Encounter Weekends for married couples in the Catholic Church.

           It grew from there and onto the Life in the Spirit Seminars and some 40 years after the BLD has now grown to more than 65 Districts in the Philippines, HK, USA and Canada and currently maintains outreach programs at the National Bilibid Prisons, Correctional Institute for Women, Philippine General Hospital and in several parishes throughout the country. And soon, the BLD is looking at Manitoba, Canada; Paris, France; Italy, Germany, Dubai and even some parts of Africa as new mission fields with which to plant the seed of the Christian Catholic faith.

         All things considered, to plant the seed and witness for Christ must begin with one man and that means it begins with each one of us and what Jesus was saying here in this parable was that we must not give in to despair and disappointment when we are faced with trials and rejection.

        The message is that we must move on because a Christian is always a man on the move and we must never lose track of the fact that we are the small beginnings from  

which the Kingdom grows.       

          But we also must not lose our focus in Jesus who is the message and content of our proclamation of the gospel. It is sad that communities have instead chosen to form committees and offices instead of ministries in pursuit of the New Evangelization creating activities and programs that are ephemeral as it lacks the substance that would make such programs last. Anything short of the spiritual will not last because genuine evangelization rests on the transformative power of the Holy Spirit that turns a person into a leaven that will influence his environment.

         What we also should remember is that we are like the leaven and again the message for us is that there shouldn’t be any stopping what we have started. Just like the leaven (𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘒𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘥𝘰𝘮 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯), we may not actually see how it works but it will have an impact on the flour such that in time the leaven will affect the entire dough (𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥).

         As such, we may not be able to see how the Kingdom works but when we allow God to use us and when we abandon ourselves to Divine Providence, the Holy Spirit whom Christ gave to his disciples and to us now will continue to work and draw people and the world closer to God.

         However, the main point of this parable is that adverse to being unseen, the work of the Kingdom can be seen as the work of the leaven for all to see. Just as when the leaven changes the dough, the work we do to establish the Kingdom turns into a violent force for all to see. Such is the power of Christ who transforms men from their indifference, passiveness, doubts and unbelief.     

         Thus, the primary message of today’s Gospel is that the work of the Spirit of God may be like an underground river that glides under the earth’s surface unseen but there are times when its work is so obvious and so powerful that everyone can see it.

         What God is actually telling us today is for us to be the small seed whose faith will grow into a tree providing shelter for others and, the leaven who will make a difference in the world. (𝘌𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘺 – 𝘑𝘶𝘭𝘺 28, 2025)