Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
God brings forth great things from small beginnings. The opening reading from the book of the prophet Ezekiel relates God’s wondrous plan of redemption for the people of Israel who are in exile in Babylon. Using the metaphor of the cedar tree, the prophet gives hope to the exiles by describing how a tender shoot (Judah) will be plucked from the topmost branches of the tall cedar (Babylon), replanted on the heights of Israel and given new life. It will bring forth lush branches and abundant fruit and birds of every kind will dwell in it. “I, the Lord, bring low the high tree, lift high the lowly tree…I have spoken, so will I do” (Ez 17:24).
The response to the first reading from Psalm 92, tells of yet another cedar tree: “The just one shall flourish like the palm tree, like a cedar of Lebanon shall he grow. They are planted in the house of the Lord…They shall bear fruit even in old age.” (Ps 92:13-15a)
And in the gospel, Jesus compares the kingdom of God to the mustard seed which, though so small a seed, brings forth the largest of plants with plentiful branches in which the birds of the sky can find shelter. (Mk 4:30-32). From humble beginnings—a tiny seed (like the small, tender shoot described by Ezekiel)—comes the fullness of God’s Kingdom. Jesus’ parable is the fulfillment of Ezekiel’s prophecy. Yes, a new kingdom will be established in Israel, but its bountiful branches will stretch out to embrace not just Israel, but the entire world (birds of every kind!).
What do all of these tree stories have in common? It is God’s action in our lives which gives rise to fruitful and abundant life. It is the Lord who plants the seed within our hearts and it is He who prompts its growth. Sometimes God’s movement within our hearts takes place in secret—like the seed which seemingly sprout up overnight “of its own accord.” When our prayer seems dry and dull and perhaps evening pointless, He is often quietly working behind the scenes in our lives. God sometimes works like a surgeon who performs an operation to heal us while we are under the sleep of anesthesia. The effects of His actions are only apparent at a later time. What is required of us is perseverance in prayer and humble abandonment to His will. Our willing acceptance of His Word in our lives each day is the small beginning by which the seed of God’s life takes root in our lives and brings forth a tree of abundant fruitfulness.
Reflection by Br. Michael Marcotte, OSB
Posted in Articles for Ordinary Time, Daily Reflections