Commentary on the readings of Sunday XI
Jesus is in Capernaum, by the lake, and goes to teach by the sea. The crowd is so great that he has to get into a boat, and from there he tells parables explaining the mysteries of the kingdom of God. We read two brief parables of this discourse, after a passage from the second Letter to the Corinthians where Paul repeats twice the expression "full of good cheer": "Brethren, we are always full of good cheer, even though we know that while we dwell in the body we are in exile away from the Lord [...], full of good cheer.". It is trust in God that gives us grace and sows in us the beginning of his kingdom, and guarantees its growth.
The first parable is proper only to Mark. "The kingdom of God becomes like a man casting seed on the ground.". Jesus speaks of great supernatural mysteries using simple human images. Thus we understand that the kingdom of God is hidden in our normal life, and that in created realities we discover supernatural mysteries: creation and redemption are the work of God. "The earth spontaneously produces first the stalk, then the ear, then full wheat in the ear."in Greek, the word is automàtê, spontaneously: the inner power of divine grace that leads to growth. "Sleep or watch, night and day, the seed sprouts and grows. How, he himself does not know". The farmers who listen to Jesus recognize themselves in his words: theirs was the gesture of sowing; then, the seed grows without counting on them.
These words can give much peace and serenity to those who have received the seed of baptism. It is a parable to memorize and teach, overcoming the fear that it may be too soft or may favor spiritual quietism. On the other hand, it is a guide to trust and abandonment in God. It can be an effective antidote against spiritual Pelagianism, which is always lurking. "When the fruit is ripe, immediately send forth the scythe, for the harvest has come."This vision of the end of life or of history can instill a lot of confidence. The final call of death comes when maturation has taken place, when we are ready.
The second parable focuses on the contrast between the smallness of the beginning-the mustard seed, according to the popular opinion of the rabbis, was "the smallest of all the seeds of the earth"-. and the result of growth: Jesus' listeners know that the mustard plant on the shores of Lake Tiberias reaches up to three meters in height and birds can nest there. Such is the Kingdom of God, the Church, which Jesus is sowing as a small seed, and such is the seed of the Kingdom in each of those who listen to him. It will grow, bear fruit and shelter.
