💖 HOMILY - JANUARY 27 💖

First Reading - Hebrews 10:32-39 

Gospel - Mark 4:26-34

We always expect a big jackpot in our lives. We feel discouraged when our expectations are not fulfilled. We feel sad about small progress in our lives because our expectations which soar high. The readings of today tell us that we should not be sad about a little progress or insignificant progress of our daily spiritual journey because God will flourish it with his grace.

Today’s first reading dwells on the endurance which the recipients of the letter have shown, sharing the sufferings of those in prison and accepting the loss of all their belongings. It encourages them by quoting Isaiah that the Second Coming is imminent, ‘only a little while, a very little while’. The passage, as a whole, ensures that the suffering and pain of this world on the basis of faith is not vain but has lasting effects. Therefore, the faithful are congratulated for their persistent faith and encouraged to persevere in it till the end.

In the gospel of today, Jesus unpacks the kingdom-parables in the parables of a wheat seed and a mustard seed. In the case of both wheat and mustard seeds, the initial growth is slow and unnoticeable. But within days a leafy shoot will emerge, and within months a mature plant with numerous branches and leaves, flowers and fruits will be produced. The growth is silent and slow but steady, using power from the seed in the beginning and transforming absorbed water and minerals for energy in the later stages. Jesus explains that the Kingdom of God grows this way in human souls. The Kingdom of God is the growth of God’s rule in human hearts that occurs when man does the will of God and surrenders his life to God. It is slow and microscopic in the beginning. But it grows by using the power of the Holy Spirit, given to us through the Word of God, the Sacraments, and our prayers. Finally, God’s rule in the human heart transforms individuals and communities into God’s people, doing His will in His kingdom.

Dear friends, the first reading and the gospel passage have the similar message of perseverance. The first reading encourages us to persevere through tough times of our lives and the gospel passage encourages us to persevere to perceive the growth of the kingdom of God. It's indeed hard to persevere through tough times and difficult moments of our lives. It's really easy to give up. The readings assure us that there lies a great hope for our perseverance; a hope for the greater and better possibility like a mustard seed, from a seed to the biggest shrub.

In the gospel, Jesus narrates a humble beginning of the kingdom comparing it with a wheat seed and a mustard seed that grow to a massive form with the grace of the Holy Spirit. This parable tells us that our small effort to grow in our spiritual life is no waste rather that can grow to its maturity with the grace of the Holy Spirit. Let's never be discouraged with the insignificant growth of the kingdom in our hearts but believe that God will grow it to its fullest growth.