Daily Gospel Reflection for July 27, 2015

Today's Gospel: Matthew 13:31-35

In today's Gospel, Jesus talks about the Kingdom of God in parables. First, he likens it to a mustard seed that begins as the smallest of seeds, but becomes a large bush that the "birds of the sky come and dwell in." Then Our Lord talks about the Kingdom being like yeast that is worked into three measures of wheat flour that leavens the entire batch of bread.

In both of these parables, Jesus compares the Kingdom of Heaven to things that start small and grow large. He was preparing his disciples for the time when the Gentile world would become a part of God's family. God began His plan of salvation with His Chosen People — a people who started out as a single couple unable to have children! From Abraham and Sarah, an elderly couple, came the entire nation of Israel! And through this Chosen People, God came to us and offered the entire world the gift of salvation.

Do you ever wonder if Abraham and Sarah pondered how God would make their descendants more numerous than the stars? In those years between that promise and the change in their names and the birth of Isaac, did they sit together in the evening and wonder how God's plan was supposed to work? We know Abraham's faith was so great that he believed God would make it work, but sometimes I wonder if there were moments when he and Sarah — especially Sarah, who laughed out loud at the idea — would say to each other, "So God's time isn't our time. How exactly does His time work, again?"

Even after Isaac was born, God made it clear that this solitary boy would be the beginning of the great nation. Like the tiny mustard seed. Like the little bit of yeast in the big batch of flour. One child would be the beginning of God's mighty plan of salvation, and when it came to fulfillment, all the people of the world would come to rest inside that Church. Just like all the birds of the air could rest in the mustard bush.

Ponder:

As I pray, do I ask for God's will? If I do, am I patient enough? God's vision is far more long-term than my own, and sometimes it's hard to wait for His timing.

Pray:

Lord, help me to remember that Your plan for me is better than anything I can dream up on my own. When I'm confused by what seem to be unanswered prayers, help me be patient and to wait for your plan to unfold for me.

We thank our friends at The Word Among Us for providing our gospel reflection team with copies of Abide In My Word 2015: Mass Readings at Your Fingertips. To pray the daily gospels with this wonderful resource, visit The Word Among Us.

Copyright 2015 Christine Johnson