Homily for the Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B Ezekiel 17:22-24/ Psalm 92/2Corinthians 5:6-10/ Mark 4:26-34 THEME: God’s power brings growth

The power of God, which is beyond any human power, is very present in the biblical texts for this Sunday. It is the power of God that transplants the shoot of cedar (the remnant of Israel), cut by Nebuchadnezzar and carried to Babylon, back to Zion in order for it to grow in the city of God (First Reading). The Gospel tells us too of the power that God gives the seed to grow to reach full maturity (First Parable) or, being extremely small, to grow into a leafy tree in which all the birds of the sky can take shelter (Second Parable). Trusting in this extraordinary power of God, manifested in Christ, in the midst of his apostolic efforts, Paul desires and waits to receive his reward from the Lord, the judge of our life. The first reading brings this out vividly the unfathomable power of God. Nebuchadnezzar, the most powerful man on earth in his time, had cut a shoot from the top of a cedar, a symbol of Israel, and transplanted it in Babylon; but God is more powerful than Nebuchadnezzar, in due course, takes that shoot and transports it to Mount Zion to plant it on the crest of the city to become a tree in which all peoples can take refuge. It is clear that God’s power shines forth in a unique way in the face of the imposing power of men. The people of Israel, exiled in Babylon, will return to Jerusalem, to Mount Zion, where all the peoples of the earth will find shelter. What then is our task in this history directed by our God? Certainly, and in the first place, it is to not be an obstacle to God’s action. It is mainly to joyfully accept God’s pace, to open our minds and hearts to it, and to do our part in vitally internalizing God’s plans and helping others do the same. Thus we will arrive at the tribunal of God at the end of our existence, serene and peaceful, like Paul, because "we aspire to please him" (2 Corinthians 5:9) The Kingdom of God, and salvation history in which the Kingdom has its place, marches through time at God’s beat, not what men want or would like to impose. The seed of the Kingdom reaches maturity and the harvest according to the pace of growth that the Lord infuses into seed’s core. The tiny mustard seed becomes a leafy tree, capable of accommodating in its branches the birds of the air, as quickly or as slowly as God allows. This is what the gospel reading focuses on. "The Kingdom of God is like a seed ...;" "it is like a mustard seed ...." The parables say nothing about human action. It is not that they deny it, but it is immaterial to Jesus in expounding the message he wants to communicate. Christ is interested in underlining the powerful action of God in building his Kingdom in the world. The sower is God, not man. It is God who makes the seed grow (seed, stem, ear, grain), not man. The angels of God collect the grain, not man. Jesus wants to make clear in his hearers – and us – that the entire process of building the Kingdom among men, in history, is especially God´s work. "The weakness of God" and the “power of men” is what sometimes we are made to realize in this world of fragile peace and broken promises. In everyday experience, what do we perceive when we look around us, at the world in which we live and work? What immediately appears before our eyes is the power of men. There is political power that can be used for the good of all citizens, but because of the abuse of power, can be – and unfortunately in many cases it is – the cause of pressure, corruption, despotism, or disinterest in the good of the citizens. There is legislative power that subjects people to unjust laws, or that, yielding to powerful minorities, goes against the thoughts and feelings of a nation’s majority. There is economic power, able sometimes to manipulate people, families, institutions and even governments, for the benefit of a few who "govern" the march of history, motivated by self-interest. There is the power of information that, when misused, enthrones lies over truth, evil over good, novelty over the real value of things, impressions over reflection, superficiality over depth. Is the power of God overshadowed by the power of men? Why does not God act with all his power and put human power in its proper place? St. Paul gives us an answer in the First Letter to the Corinthians. Paul preaches a crucified Christ as the savior of mankind. Paul’s proclamation is a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but for believers, a Christ who is the power of God and the wisdom of God. He concludes his argument with these words: "For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength" (1 Corinthians 1:25). God’s power is revealed in weakness, because God is patient, compassionate and merciful, full of mercy. Human powers are fragile, and any circumstance whatsoever can destroy an arsenal of power consolidated over a long time. God’s power is eternal, and it is manifested in this world to those who love him, and in eternity to all men, who will be judged "according to what [they] did in the body, whether good or evil" (2 Corinthians 5:10). What then is God’s power and man´s task? In the eyes of many, God’s power can be overshadowed, obscured by the power of men; some may even conclude that there is no such divine power. What is the task of man before the real power of God in this world and in the hereafter? A very necessary task today is to open the eyes of men to faith, because the power of God shines forth only to the eyes of faith. Today each and every Christian needs to be a transmitter of the faith, a missionary who preaches the central mystery of our faith: "Christ suffered and died for our sins and rose for our salvation." It’s not about "imposing" the faith, but announcing it, sharing it, transmitting it with joy and love, making it into prayer, embracing it through authentic living. Thus Christians make visible God’s power in their life and spark a light in the minds of those who have not yet discovered God’s amazing power – which is none other than the power of a Father who wants the best for each and every one of his children. The way God orders human powers for the service of mankind is through the power of his love. Will the mighty men of this world welcome in their heart and life this incredible challenge of God´s power? We are called to be like that mustard seed that grows into a huge shrub that the many will see our life and run to the source of life. The following are the moral lessons for our reflection and edification. In the face of these difficulties and objections, we have to remind ourselves of three aspects of the activity of building the kingdom. First, the building of the kingdom is nothing less than bringing God's love closer to creation. It is not the equivalent of recruiting converts or seeking out adherents to our way of doing things. The kingdom happens when it happens: whenever someone looks at the world afresh, has new joy, rejoices in beauty, or is encouraged to seek the good. This intimate scale of the kingdom is proportionate to the scale of the deeds we are called to perform every day. If we cannot communicate love in little things, then we will not succeed in bigger things. Second, each of us is called to carry out the activities of building the kingdom as part of a community. This community is this Church. We are not just a bundle of individuals who happen to share a view of the universe; we are one people bonded together as the body of Christ. We engage in all these little things knowing that all of those we can call brothers and sisters can work in the same way, we can encourage one another, support one another, and comfort one another along no matter how arduous the path is. Third, we are people who are called to live by faith, act with love, and walk with hope. Hope is living with the 'not yet,' the apparent incompleteness of what we do, the energy to get up again after we have confronted frustration. “Fourth, think global, act local' (or as we might rephrase it into more religious terms: 'Think God, love neighbour') also fits into the basic plan of salvation. We seek to build the kingdom of the Father — and we pray for its coming. We do this in union with the Son — we act as the body of Christ. We press on in hope which is an effect of the Holy Spirit living within us —and the Spirit enlightens and enlivens us. Fifth, 'think global, act local' has become one of the valuable slogans for many groups. We Christians must also make this slogan our own: it can help us link the values of the kingdom to the practical actions our human situations demand, and it can give concrete expression to one of the pressing urgencies of discipleship. In conclusion, the unique message of Jesus is summed up by his use of the phrase 'kingdom of God' and his unique way of speaking about it was the parable. No doubt Jesus could have written a book or given a series of dogmas and rules, but he chose rather to tell short stories by way of illustration. The kingdom he speaks of is not the afterlife but an expression of how God wants the world to be. So the parables of the kingdom deal with God's will for the world and how his grace is at work around us. As such, they offer both comfort and challenge. Today's parables stress that we must not fret or worry but rather trust that the kingdom will come because God wants it to. They are an invitation to take time to consider how the plan of God unfolds around us in ways that are both surprising and sure. We are invited to appreciate deeply the kingdom of God as a present reality and a future reality; in which the latter is dependent on the former.