First reading Ezekiel 17:22-24
I will plant a shoot on the high mountain of Israel
The Lord says this:
‘From the top of the cedar,
from the highest branch I will take a shoot
and plant it myself on a very high mountain.
I will plant it on the high mountain of Israel.
It will sprout branches and bear fruit,
and become a noble cedar.
Every kind of bird will live beneath it,
every winged creature rest in the shade of its branches.
And every tree of the field will learn that I, the Lord, am the one
who stunts tall trees and makes the low ones grow,
who withers green trees and makes the withered green.
I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will do it.’
Responsorial Psalm 91(92):2-3,13-16
R: Lord, it is good to give thanks to you
It is good to give thanks to the LORD,
to sing praise to your name, Most High,
To proclaim your kindness at dawn
and your faithfulness throughout the night.
R: Lord, it is good to give thanks to you
The just one shall flourish like the palm tree,
like a cedar of Lebanon shall he grow.
They that are planted in the house of the LORD
shall flourish in the courts of our God.
R: Lord, it is good to give thanks to you
They shall bear fruit even in old age;
vigorous and sturdy shall they be,
Declaring how just is the LORD,
my rock, in whom there is no wrong.
R: Lord, it is good to give thanks to you
Second reading 2 Corinthians 5:6-10
We want to be exiled from the body and make our home with the Lord
We are always full of confidence when we remember that to live in the body means to be exiled from the Lord, going as we do by faith and not by sight – we are full of confidence, I say, and actually want to be exiled from the body and make our home with the Lord. Whether we are living in the body or exiled from it, we are intent on pleasing him. For all the truth about us will be brought out in the law court of Christ, and each of us will get what he deserves for the things he did in the body, good or bad.
Gospel Mark 4:26-34
The kingdom of God is a mustard seed growing into the biggest shrub of all
Jesus said to the crowds: ‘This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man throws seed on the land. Night and day, while he sleeps, when he is awake, the seed is sprouting and growing; how, he does not know. Of its own accord the land produces first the shoot, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. And when the crop is ready, he loses no time: he starts to reap because the harvest has come.’
He also said, ‘What can we say the kingdom of God is like? What parable can we find for it? It is like a mustard seed which at the time of its sowing in the soil is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet once it is sown it grows into the biggest shrub of them all and puts out big branches so that the birds of the air can shelter in its shade.’
Using many parables like these, he spoke the word to them, so far as they were capable of understanding it. He would not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything to his disciples when they were alone.
___________________________________________
Walk by faith, not sight
“We are always full of confidence when we remember that to live in the body means to be exiled from the Lord, going as we do by faith and not by sight…” (2nd reading). We often hear this phrase of St.Paul, “walk by faith, and not by sight”. What does he mean? St. Paul reminds us that we should not root ourselves in visible certainities and securities. Rather, we go by faith in God, whom we cannot see or touch. He is the sure ground on which we stand. We trust and believe that He is with us and active in our lives. Thus, even in times of uncertainty and change, we have confidence in God and our hope is based on His love and promises, not our external situations.
In the gospel, Jesus assures us that we do not need enormous faith in our walk with God. Like the tiny mustard seed, our faith can be small, fragile and unassuming, but God continues working in and through us. May we always count on His faithfulness to us.
Reflective question:
Do I have at least faith in the size of a tiny mustard seed?
Do I have at least faith in the size of a tiny mustard seed?
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year B” by Sr Maria Jose FMVD.
