Daily Meditation - Sunday 20July 2008 - GROWTH MAY BE SLOW AND FAULTS MAYBE HAVE A POSITIVE SIDE TOO!

[BarbaraTherese]

Sunday is a Day of Obligation

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Catholic Catechism – Sunday - The Lord’s Day
and a day of rest.
scborromeo.org/ccc/p3s2c1a3.htm

Mass Readings & Meditation
Readings

Meditation

Matthew 13:24-43

As we learn from today’s parables about the yeast and the mustard seed, God’s kingdom can expand in phenomenal ways, as it did in the first few centuries of the Christian era.

• However, that kingdom may also have tiny, inauspicious beginnings and grow so slowly that we barely notice it.
• On the other hand, it seems that the “weeds” in our lives and our world always take root and grow quickly.

No wonder it can be easy to get discouraged!

That’s why Jesus encourages us to keep an optimistic focus,

• looking at the stirrings of his kingdom and asking for the grace to nurture its growth in ourselves and others.
• It’s like trying to teach a toddler to talk. We know that an explosion of language is just waiting to happen, but we have to help it along.
• We need to spend many hours talking to a baby who can’t possibly understand what we’re saying,
• and hearing him repeat back the babbling sounds that will one day form the foundation of words.

Sooner or later, the child will begin talking—at a remarkable pace—but we have to work patiently until that miracle takes place!

• Likewise, we can be preoccupied with the sinful tendencies we still find in others
• and in ourselves
• and lose sight of the good stuff.
• If we try to uproot every imperfection the moment we spot it, we risk doing more harm than good.

For example, we can be so determined not to be lazy that we find it impossible to “waste” time in simple relaxation.

• But the faults that seem so glaring to us usually have another side.
• For instance, my stubbornness can come in handy when I find myself in a situation where I need to hang on to God’s promises with all my heart.

So don’t be discouraged because growth is small and slow. God is infinitely patient with us. You can afford to be patient with him as well—and with each other!

“Jesus, I want to see your kingdom grow both in me and around me. Show me where your grace is at work, and guide me in nurturing it.”