Fr Kevin Kilgore

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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

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Gospel: Mark 4: 21-25

Jesus said to his disciples,
“Is a lamp brought in to be placed under a bushel basket
or under a bed,
and not to be placed on a lampstand?
For there is nothing hidden except to be made visible; 
nothing is secret except to come to light.
Anyone who has ears to hear ought to hear.”
He also told them, “Take care what you hear.
The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you, 
and still more will be given to you.
To the one who has, more will be given; 
from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Imagine life without light.

If you opened your fridge, you’d struggle to find the milk. If you came to Mass, the church would be dark. If you drove at night, the roads would be hauntingly black.

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Light is essential to how we live our lives. But different size light bulbs are needed for different purposes.

In your fridge, a 40-watt bulb is perfect. In a church, you need brighter bulbs. At night, you need even larger bulbs to brighten our streets.

While each bulb has a different intensity, they all serve the same purpose: to cast out the darkness in their respective place.

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In a similar way, God has given each of us a purpose in life – a unique way to shine brightly, to share our faith, our heart, our time, our resources, serving as the face and voice of Christ. 

Priests shine by making Jesus present in the Eucharist, when pouring holy water over a child’s head in baptism, by absolving a heavy burdened soul in the confessional, visiting the sick in the hospital, or celebrating the bond of marriage.

Some of you bring the Eucharist to the homebound; you prepare food for the hungry in our soup kitchen; you serve as a catechist; you are the voice of reconciliation in your family; a prophetic voice in society; or you love and serve your neighbor in the world. 

So, how do we collectively light up the world around us?

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“No one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel or sets it under a bed,” Jesus says. “Rather, he places it on a lampstand so that those who enter may see the light.”

Be that light – shine “brightly” – in your spot. Together, we can brighten the world.

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Image credits: (1) Presence and Practice (2) ResearchGate (3) Salt&Light

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Gospel: Matthew 23: 8-12

Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples:
“Do not be called ‘Rabbi.’
You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers.
Call no one on earth your father;
you have but one Father in heaven.
Do not be called ‘Master’;
you have but one master, the Christ.
The greatest among you must be your servant.
Whoever exalts himself will be humbled;
but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Perhaps the two most influential thinkers in the history of the Catholic Church are Saint Augustine and Saint Thomas Aquinas, who lived 800 years apart.

Saint Augustine lived in northern Africa in the 4^th century and is most famous for his memoir, Confessions, in which he documents his storied past, his dramatic conversion, and ultimately his conclusion: “Our hearts are restless until they rest in you, O Lord.”

The Church has preserved these, and over five million other words either written or preached by Augustine, for nearly two-thousand years.

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Similarly, Saint Thomas Aquinas, whose feast day we celebrate today, was a prolific writer who built upon the writings of Augustine. Incredibly, Thomas wrote more than 100,000 pages of philosophy and theology. His depth and clarity of thought remain unmatched.

Yet, one day while celebrating Mass, Thomas received a vision of heaven that affected him so deeply that he never wrote another word.

“The end of my labors has come,” he said. “All that I have written appears to be as so much straw after the things that have been revealed to me.”

Three months later, Thomas died peacefully.

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What can the life and example of these towering Saints say to us today?

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First, make every effort to know, follow, and love Jesus Christ. We will remain restless and unsatisfied until we do.

Secondly, there is no sacrifice we can make for God that outweighs our heavenly reward. Even the compendium of Thomas Aquinas – 100,000 pages of the best writing the Church has ever known – is, in his words, straw compared to the beauty of God.

So, how might we satisfy our restlessness by growing closer to the Lord today?

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Image credits: (1) Dominicana Journal (2) The Gospel Coalition (3) AZ Quotes