(Wisdom 12:13, 16-19;
Rm 8: 26-27; Mt 13:24-43)
1.0. Kingdom of Work
“Through such works you have taught
your people that the righteous man must be kind, and you have filled your sons
with good hope, because you give repentance for sins.” The Book of Wisdom talks
about the righteous deeds with which God cares for all men and judges unjustly.
Though sovereign, God works among His people, governing all with forbearance
and mildness, judging justly and giving them chance to repent. Our meditation
today captures this image of God who ‘works’, planting His kingdom of
righteousness among us.
In the Gospel, Jesus presents three
parables to illustrate how the Kingdom of God grows among us. Each of the
parables uses the imagery of serious labour to convey its message. In the first
He says, “The Kingdom of Heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in
his field...” Here God is positioned as a ‘Farmer’, which involves serious
work. The same goes with the sowing of the mustard seed and the kneading of the
leaven with the flour. “My Father still goes on working, and I am at work, too”
(Jn 5:17). In the same way, we must be dedicated people, committed to the task
ahead, working out our salvation in fear
and trembling (Phil 2:12). It takes persistence and time to build up a
moral and righteous life. If you have placed your hand on the plough the Kingdom
of Heaven and its righteousness, there is no looking back! This is how we can
bear fruits for the Kingdom.
2.0. Fruit for the Kingdom
In the first parable, the seeds of
the Kingdom were left to grow among the seeds of the evil one. The reason for
this is that none of His righteous ones may be lost while still growing. But all will be allowed to grow to full
maturity for the harvest. Then, the good ones shall be separated from the evil
ones by their fruits! The Angels will gather those who produced fruits into the
heavenly barn, and burn the rest.
What exactly is this fruit? The
parable of the mustard seed gives us the idea. The righteousness of the Kingdom
planted might be insignificant, almost unnoticed! But it grows to become a big
tree that exists not just for itself, but is recognized for providing shelter
to birds of the air! Imagine the
great act of mercy and charity that the tree stands for, always available to all
who come under its shade. The same applies to the little leaven mixed with the
flour. It enriches the flour, and provides delicious meal to the hungry. The
good works we do for the Kingdom of Heaven must shine before people to the glory
of God (cf. Mt 5:16). There is no room for selfishness for the Children of the
Kingdom.
God is still working in our lives;
the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. The seeds of the evil one may want to
dominate us, “But the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for
words.” And Jesus continues to nourish us in the Holy Eucharist. The holy
Catholic Church is rich with numerous channels of grace to sustain us to bear
fruit for the Kingdom. We cannot grow to full maturity and bear fruits of
holiness if we do not apply the graces given us through openness to the Holy
Spirit, prayer and the Sacraments. Let us be committed to the work God has
started in us to produce mercy, charity, patient-endurance, humility, etc. It is on the Cross that God's great work to sow His Kingdom in our lives shines out. Finally,
Jesus said, “Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their
Father.” Amen!
Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic
Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.
Sunday July 19th, 2020.
www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com
