Captured Fire: The Sunday Homilies, Cycle B by Krempa S. Joseph

Author:Krempa, S. Joseph [Krempa, S. Joseph]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: ebook, book
Publisher: ST PAULS / Alba House
Published: 2011-04-28T04:00:00+00:00

ELEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

Ezekiel 17:22-24 2 Corinthians 5:6-10 Mark 4:26-34

TWO COMMON PHRASES we hear today are “the bigger, the better!” and “the more, the merrier!” Many corporations want to be the largest in their industry. People want to live in the biggest house, drive the biggest car and belong to the biggest church. “The bigger, the better!” “The more, the merrier!”

Today’s Gospel reading presents a contrast to that in two brief parables. They both compare the reign of God to seeds. In the first one, the seed grows slowly day by day. The second is about mustard seeds that are very small but grow large enough to give shelter and shade. Both of these parables are about big results emerging from small beginnings. A few bags of grain can produce a harvest large enough to fill a silo. A tiny mustard seed can become a home for the birds of the air.

These agricultural images are not simply about farming but about the reign of God. They both give us a word of caution. We should not identify size with significance. Bigger is not necessarily better. More is not necessarily merrier. We all know how a small parish church can lose something vital when it becomes a mammoth congregation. A huge organization is not necessarily a more effective one. We often find quality products in smaller businesses.

Similarly, a majority does not necessarily decide what is right. More often than not, minorities have been the great “change agents” and carriers of truth for the rest of society. Renewal and revival have come through minorities. The abolition of slavery, the securing of civil rights, respect for human life, care for the environment, political reform, and in fact our own American Revolution have not happened through large numbers of people but through a small, dynamic and committed minority.

We should not, therefore, confuse size with significance. The church with the most members is not necessarily the most effective. In fact, size can often make a community complacent, fat and lethargic. The renewal and revival that our culture and world need will come from a minority filled with fire, spiritual muscle and the truth. They are the future. Numbers can sometimes be a curse rather than a blessing. It is not the number of people who claim the name “Christian” that will change the world but the intensity with which they live their faith. The faith that makes a difference is not the one that grows outward but the one that grows within.

When we look at the beautiful world around us this summer, we should call to mind the magnificent truth that the growth we see began with small seeds that grew slowly over the years. The same is true in our Church life and our spiritual life. Our spiritual vitality begins with a trickle of water at Baptism. It grows with a wafer of bread in Holy Communion and a smudge of consecrated oil at Confirmation. Slowly the graces planted through those sacraments can grow into an heroic and life-changing holiness that profoundly affects others.

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