Blind to Kingdom hidden in plain sight

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite contemplation about the wisdom we exercise in attending daily to practices that build the Kingdom of God.

Small seeds for Beauty and Truth

The Prophet Jeremiah follows the instructions of God to show a vivid image of the consequences of letting the practice of faith be forgotten.

* [13:1–11] In this symbolic action, Jeremiah probably went to the village and spring of Parah, two and a half miles northeast of Anathoth, whose name closely resembled the Hebrew name of the river Euphrates (Perath), in order to dramatize the religious corruption of Judah at the hands of the Babylonians.

In the Gospel from Matthew, Jesus used parables centred around seemingly small and insignificant natural items to illustrate how the Kingdom of God grows.

* [13:31–33] See Mk 4:30–32; Lk 13:18–21. The parables of the mustard seed and the yeast illustrate the same point: the amazing contrast between the small beginnings of the kingdom and its marvelous expansion.

Jay Mack notes that God interprets the action of Jeremiah for us so we won’t miss the point. It is informative to think about where, today, we might be instructed to bury the loincloth.

The people got the message: Isra’el was the loincloth that God wanted to wear, but she wasn’t ready yet to be used for His purposes. She wanted to live an ordinary life first, so she wadded herself up and stuffed herself into the secure routines, separating herself from what God had at great cost purchased her for. But when the day comes it will turn out that she is good for nothing. The beautiful moral life that she set aside for a more convenient day will turn out, when she picks it up, to be mildewed and worthless

Edward Morse observes Faith and faithfulness can grow from small beginnings.  But doubt and rebellion may also get started from small things, too.

Lord, grant us the humility to pause our doings, to listen, and to seek your face.  Show us where we are fickle and resistant to your goodness. Help us to recognize that you have made us, and that we have been graced to receive the word of truth, even in living form, through your Son.  Amen.

Don Schwager’s meditation asks What can mustard seeds and leaven teach us about the kingdom of God? He quotes John Chrysostom (347-407 AD) that a small seed produces a great tree.

"Therefore he brought forward the similitude of this herb, which has a very strong resemblance to the kingdom of heaven. It indeed is 'the least of all seeds, but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.' Thus he meant to set forth the most decisive sign of its greatness. 'Even so then shall it also be with respect to the gospel,' he says. For his disciples were weakest of all and least of all. Nevertheless, because of the great power that was in them, it has grown and been unfolded in every part of the world." (excerpt from the  THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, HOMILY 46.2)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 13:31-35 urges us to dig in and do it!

Praise your children, for even the smallest acts of obedience. Thank them even when they’re just doing what you asked. Tell them the things God thinks about them: they are wonderful, creative, strong, talented, and lovable. Yield to your spouse’s preference for something, even if it means eating tofu instead of T-bone steak. With heartfelt love, pick his socks or her towel up off the floor. Repent (quickly) for thoughtless words, and forgive even more quickly.

Friar Jude Winkler comments on the strong condemnation contained in the episode of the loincloth. Kingdom begins with small things the communities we do like smiling, prayer, and forgiveness. Friar Jude notes that parables are a way for people to understand. If teachers can’t explain it to a 5 yr old they haven't learned it.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, asks why are so many people from different cultures, countries, ethnicities, educations, and religions are saying very similar things today? He comments that this really is quite amazing and to my knowledge has no precedent in human history.

As Rabbi Rami Shapiro explains it, “Perennial wisdom isn’t unique to any specific system of thought or belief, but rather a set of teachings common to all of them. Each articulation of perennial wisdom takes on the flavor of the system in which it rests. Mistaking the flavor for the substance leads us to imagine differences where none exist.” [2]
One way to summarize the essence of perennial wisdom (to paraphrase Aldous Huxley) is:
There is a Divine Reality underneath and inherent in the world of things;There is in the human soul a natural capacity, similarity, and longing for this Divine Reality;The final goal of existence is union with this Divine Reality. [3]

Our search to encounter the Kingdom of God in our daily experience is a direction toward celebrating and practicing beauty and truth.

References


(n.d.). CHAPTER 13 Judah's Corruption. 1The LORD said to me: Go buy .... Retrieved July 30, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/jeremiah/jeremiah13.htm

(n.d.). Matthew, chapter 13 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved July 30, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/13

(n.d.). A Linen Loincloth Jeremiah's Fifth Symbolic Action. Retrieved July 30, 2018, from https://jaymack.net/english/jeremiah-commentary/Dx-A-Linen-Loincloth.php 

(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved July 30, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html

(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved July 30, 2018, from http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/ 

(n.d.). 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Mass Readings and Catholic Daily .... Retrieved July 30, 2018, from https://wau.org/meditations/

(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archives - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved July 30, 2018, from https://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/