Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
Ezekiel 17:22-24 - Psalm 92 - 2 Corinthians 5:6-10 - Mark 4:26-34
It seems that two ideas run through today's readings: growth and faith. Ezechiel says God will replant the crest of the cedar on a mountaintop where it will bear fruit and become majestic. Birds and all winged things shall dwell in its shade.
Paul, in his own inimitable way, says we are to walk by faith and not by sight, trusting God. Although we no longer see and hear the Incarnate Word of God, we can trust in God's Word and word. Our Psalm refrain reminds us to be thankful and to praise God's goodness.
In Mark, Jesus says God will scatter seed which will yield fruit, first from blade to ear, then to full grain. Jesus next likens Heaven to a mustard seed, smallest of all seeds, producing the largest of plants, so that as with the cedar in Ezechiel, birds can dwell in its shade.
What can we take away from these readings? What is God saying to us today? In our Religious lives God continues to prune us of anything that interferes with our becoming what God wants us to be. We have been replanted many times in new assignments; we have moved from place to place. We have walked by faith, faith in a God who loves us without measure; faith in a God who wants only our good; faith in a God who has gifted us so that we can bear fruits for others, so that others can rest in our shade.
Lord, help us to be good seed that bears fruit, that shelters others, that always remembers to trust You, to praise and thank You. May our songs of praise please You because they come from hearts filled with love for You. Amen.
Sr. Monica Paul Fraser, OP