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11th Sunday of Ordinary Time

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Last week’s gospel from Mark introduced us to how Jesus teaches with parables.  This week, as we continue our journey with Jesus, he gives us two more parables as he explains to us the Kingdom of God.

The Word for the 11th Sunday of Ordinary Time
Ezekiel 17:22-24
Psalm 92:2-3, 13-14, 15-16
2 Corinthians 5:6-10
Mark 4:26-34

We open with a reading from the book of the prophet Ezekiel.  Our passage speaks of God bringing life, taking a tender shoot of a cedar and planting it on the highest mountain.  There the tree will thrive and gather life around it.  It is an uplifting message for a people who find themselves in exile.  Remember that Ezekiel is our priest and prophet from the period of the Exile.  Although he sees that the sins of the people have brought them to Babylon, he also sees the hope of a nation that will gather all nations to the Lord.  The joy of this gathering is reflected in our Psalm as we sing, “Lord, it is good to give thanks to you.”

We continue with the tree metaphor in our Gospel from Mark.  Here we get two parables.  The first the Parable of the Growing Seed.  A short parable unique to Mark's Gospel where he equates the Kingdom of God to a sower planting his seeds and reaping his harvest.  It is God who brings life, but it is we who must care for that life and harvest it for the Lord.  The second is the Parable of the Mustard Seed, a well known story found in all three synoptic Gospels.  Here Mark equates the use of parables themselves as like a mustard seed:  one of the smallest of seeds, yet grows quickly into a mighty plant, which in turn supports life around it.  Mark is explaining how Jesus used parables for teaching about the Kingdom of God... short, relatable stories that bring meaning to deeper truths of life and faith.  We can expect to see more parables from Mark's Gospel as we journey with Jesus and the Apostles through the Summer.

Our second reading continues our study of Paul's second letter to the Corinthians.  This week, Paul is explaining the differences between our being with the body and being with the Lord, (a lesson easily understood by his Hellenist audience).  Paul explains that while we are with in the body, that is, the Body of Christ (though it can also refer to our physical bodies), we are separated from the Lord, that is, we are not with the Lord in Heaven.  This physical separation is troubling both for Paul and the many Hellenist Greeks he is evangelizing (remember that the separation of body and soul is a concept originated by the Hellenist).  Though we long to be with the Lord, Paul says, we are in fact courageous for staying with the body and aspiring to please the Lord.  In other words, while life with the Lord in Heaven is what we long for, it is not automatic... we will be judged on how we live this life, whether at home (within the community) or away.

Final Thoughts:
So what is the Kingdom of God?  Often times we think of this as a Heavenly afterlife, but that is not necessarily how scripture paints this idea... an idea that predates Jesus and our traditional idea of the afterlife.  Perhaps a better definition for Kingdom of God is a state of all humanity living as Jesus taught us... Loving God and loving one another.  Imagine a world where we no longer needed a police force.  No need for weapons, security, or other forms of protection.  A world where the needy are cared for and our goal is to reach out to others instead of looking out for oneself.  Such a world would be transcendent indeed, but the work begins here and now with us.

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