Search
Our Sunday Reflection - June 16, 2024
-
-
"Lord, it is good to give thanks to you."
Psalm 92
-
-
-
Introduction to the Liturgy of the Day
Today’s readings are especially timely at this point of the year. Two of the passages concern nature, specifically the growth of large trees and plants. As we head into summer, we can appreciate the shade from an expansive, leafy tree. On this Father’s Day, a sturdy tree that provides shelter and comfort may remind us of our own father or fathers we know. Like trees and plants during the summer, like fathers who love us and care for us, the seeds we sow and nurture grow slowly and steadily, producing fruit that builds the kingdom of God in our midst.Introduction to the Liturgy of the Word
Ezekiel sets the tone for today’s selections from God’s word when he relates God’s promise to grow a majestic tree that will stand out among all the rest. In the Gospel, Jesus tells the well-known parable of the mustard seed, a tiny seed that produces a huge plant. The fruit of the natural world—of God’s wondrous creation—continues to provide for us, even as its miraculous growth enthralls and delights us.Reflections
- Jesus loved to teach through parables. There’s a reason for this. It enabled the common person to understand and remember what he was trying to teach. It’s not like people could write down what he said and highlight the important parts to memorize or to further analyze. Through parables, Jesus was able to give them lessons they could both understand and remember. Because the subjects of these parables—seeds, plants, fruit, harvests—were things they could relate to, they were able to understand the surface meaning. Every growing season, they saw land yielding fruit. Over time, they saw tiny mustard seeds grow into huge shrubs. Because they were stories, they were memorable. And because they related to their daily activity, they would be reminded of them often. So over time, they continued to ponder their meaning, much as we would with a passage from a book that we highlighted and saved.
- Mark does not tell us how Jesus explained these parables to his disciples, though we do hear Jesus’ interpretation of others. How would Jesus have explained these two? He introduces both as ways to understand the kingdom of God. We can conclude that the kingdom of God is something that is growing, something that grows imperceptibly, but something that grows magnificently. The fruit of this growth is enjoyed by others: grain by those who eat it, shade by the birds who dwell in it, the kingdom by those who reach it. In time, all these features emerge from a tiny seed hidden in the fertile soil.
- Before the seeds from either of Jesus’ parables grow to become food or shade, they break open, receive nutrients from the soil, grow roots deep into the ground, then finally emerge in the form of a tiny shoot. We see none of this, for it happens underground—a mystery invisible to our eyes. Here is another way this is like the kingdom. As Paul wrote in the second reading, “we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). We cannot always see how the work we do is building up the kingdom. We can’t see the destination of our journey to the kingdom. But we put our trust in Jesus, whom we trust will show us the way. Like the living thing inside the seed, we trust that we will blossom and bear fruit.
Question of the Week
How do I walk by faith, showing my trust in God and things I cannot see? Can I recall a recent occasion in which I chose to put my trust in God?
-from Pastoral Patterns
-
readings of the mass
LISTEN HERE to the Audio Recordings of the Readings of Sunday, June 16, 2024
SELECT HERE for the Readings of Sunday, June 16, 2024
-
Offerings
The Sunday offerings are a portion of our blessings that we give to God (Church) in gratitude to what God has done for us...ONLINE GIVING OPTIONS -
Reflections on the readings
-
-
-
-
News from the Vatican
-
2 hours ago“I see no desire on the part of the Vatican to seriously address the issue of women in church offices,” said Regina Franken, European chair of the Catholic Women’s Council, in remarks to KNA. -
2 hours agoParticipants in this month’s Synod of Bishops on Synodality have condemned what they said is an overly western agenda obsessed with “niche issues” that takes attention away from other important key... -
2 days agoOn the first day of the final session of the Synod of Bishops on Synodality, the study group responsible for evaluating the female diaconate has said that it is a form of Holy Orders, and therefore...
-
-