Wisdom 12:13, 16-19
Romans 8:26-27
Matthew 13:24-43

The Kingdom of Heaven

This Sunday, we are reminded in the first reading that God desires justice and has shown us the way of kindness. The second reading tells us that the “Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit’s own self intercedes with inexpressible groanings.” In the gospel, Jesus gives us three parables related to the Kingdom of God – the parable of the weeds in the wheat, the parable of the mustard seed, and the parable of the yeast.

In the parable of the weeds the farmer plants good seed but an enemy plants bad seed among the good seed. The good seed will produce wheat in spite of the bad seed. This alerts us to the truth that the Kingdom of Heaven can be found in this world now in spite of evil also being present. In the end, it is God who will make the final judgment about the “good wheat” and offer a just reward.

In the second parable, just as the small mustard seed grows into a large bush, so too, God will bring the Kingdom of Heaven to bloom. The same is true in the third parable that a small amount of yeast will produce a large batch of bread. Both of these parables show that great abundance will come from small beginnings of the Kingdom of God in the here and now that will lead to God eventually bringing the Kingdom to full bloom.

The parable of the weeds should wake us up to the reality that there is evil in our midst. We can’t watch TV, read a newspaper or personally live through negative experiences without knowing that evil is all around us. How do we react? What small amount of “yeast” can we contribute to our local world to bring forth some goodness? The bush that grew from the small mustard seed provided a resting place for birds. How can we provide for those who need shelter, food and clothing? What small offerings can we freely give to make the Kingdom real in our lives now?

We need to reflect upon the reality of evil in our world, but evil cannot ultimately affect us personally unless we allow it to do so. Goodness must prevail through us. We must rely on the fact that God is always with us. God always cares for us. God always loves us.

What is one specific way you can add goodness to our world this week?

How can you deepen your relationship with God so that you are a positive part of the Kingdom now?