+ Our gospel passage today has to do with the expansiveness of
faith: the
fact that life in God, once begun, has indeed a life of its own, and just needs
daily watering with “acts of trust, belief, self-sacrificial love,” for these
are the things that makes faith work and grow.
And then once it is implanted
and grows within us, it can spill over and radiate out to others who are, with
us, invited to an eternal experience of bliss and happiness beyond our ability
to imagine with our limited minds and frames of reference.
The mustard seed parable,
then, is a good analogy and likeness of what the dynamic of true Christian life
can be: once the tiny seed is planted and takes root it can grow into a huge
tree – so that it can provide a variety of services for all those whose lives
are dependent on trees, i.e. bird, squirrels, owls! It can become a true and
viable habitat.
But let us not forget to apply
the analogy so we can see our own fruitful and vegetative faith-tree-ness as a home and shelter to all kinds of critters who
need the shade, who need comfort, who need rest and peace. These critters would
include family, friends, co-workers, teammates and the like.
The first reading speaks of
the suffering all must endure as a part of living, so that the deposit of faith
/ trust in God who can save us from any distress we may ever suffer and face,
including our own deaths, The “tree of faith” then is the perfect analogy for
why it is so important, in our sufferings, distresses and trials, to constantly
turn to God, who is constantly and more intimately than we can imagine with us,
in us, and can act through us to bring us to brighter days, and happy outcomes.
This is the dynamic of love!
This is our destiny! This is our refuge! This is our home!
Those
who trust in God, though they stumble, they will never fall!
Amen.
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