Monday of the Seventeenth Week of Ordinary Time
Things take time. Growth. Change. Progress. Insight. Understanding.
All of these are not “fast food” type items. It is easy to see this in nature. Seeds planted in spring grow over a span of weeks and produce a harvest, provided they are nourished with sun and water in good balance. Small saplings planted 15 years ago now give shade from the hot sun.
Continuing the theme from Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus speaks of growth. The very small seed in the beginning grows to great size. The small amount of leaven in the dough causes the whole loaf to rise. The application to our growth, personally and spiritually, is pretty clear. It’s easy to get the idea. We fall into the same pattern and often. Spiritual growth comes slowly. Insights in our faith develop over time. Our conversion comes in God’s time.
This is not to say that we just sit back and wait. The seed is planted within us. The grace of God is implanted in our hearts. The Love of God is poured forth into our hearts. The Spirit dwells in us making us new. We receive a true leaven for our hearts. Our job is to let that leaven transform us, to work in us, leading us forward. We strive to walk the path of the Lord, seeking God’s grace and asking for strength and faith and hope and, above all, patience.
Eventually, and always in God’s time, growth will come. God’s word achieves the end for which it was sent.
Reflection by Fr. Peter Ullrich, OSB
Posted in Articles for Lent, Daily Reflections, Lenten Resources