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Gospel: Mark 4: 26-34
Jesus said to the crowds:
“This is how it is with the Kingdom of God;
it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land
and would sleep and rise night and day
and the seed would sprout and grow,
he knows not how.
Of its own accord the land yields fruit,
first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.
And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once,
for the harvest has come.”
He said,
“To what shall we compare the Kingdom of God,
or what parable can we use for it?
It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground,
is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth.
But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants
and puts forth large branches,
so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade.”
With many such parables
he spoke the word to them as they were able to understand it.
Without parables he did not speak to them,
but to his own disciples he explained everything in private.
The Gospel of the Lord.
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There are three stages to farming.
First, you must break open the ground and scatter the seed. Then, wait for the harvest. When ready, reap what you’ve sown.
Human beings tend to be really good at steps one and three: working and reaping. Often, what we struggle with is step number two: waiting.
That’s the time when Mother Nature runs her course. Once the seeds are planted, without any effort of our own, the rains fall, the sun rises and sets, the seeds mysteriously break out of their shell and begin to sprout.
Only then can we reap what we’ve sown.
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In today’s Gospel, Jesus likens God’s intervention in our lives to a farmer planting his seed. Once the seeds are planted, he goes to bed without any stress or anxiety. He simply waits patiently for nature to run its course.
Similarly, once we’ve made our petitions known to God, Jesus tells us not to stress or be anxious. Simply wait.
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What’s something I’m waiting on God to answer?
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As Saint Paul reminds us, “Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God” (Philippians 4:6).
Much like the farmer who trusts in his harvest, trust in the Creator of all.
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Image credits: (1) Integrated Catholic Life (2) Devotions by Chris Hendrix (3) The Spruce