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Eucharist in the Time of Corona
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January 23, 2022Mk 4:26-34In one of the Gospels this week, Mark the Evangelist puts the following parable in the mouth of Jesus: This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.Let's look at the various actions that were performed:
- the person sows,
- the seed in the depth of the earth germinates and grows,
- the earth bears fruit by itself... it enables the seed to bear fruit in a slow and beautiful process: first the grass sprouts, then the stalk forms and finally, the kernel fills the spike,
- The sower appears again because the harvest time has come.
The sower sows and trusts that the seed hidden underneath the earth will bear fruit at the right time. The parable does not say so, but it can be inferred that the sower takes care of the process. Every day he waters the land, observes the slow growth, admires every detail, appreciates the buds, feels linked to the life that is emerging.So it is with the Kingdom of God. This is how God's dream for humanity and creation becomes possible. His dream, which is intertwined with the most genuine dreams of people, needs the collaboration of everyone, but mysteriously and surprisingly it is being developed by the merciful grace of God. The dream of God manifests itself in the day-to-day activities, in the marginal. The buds of life arise even in the midst of death. A transparent gaze is necessary to discover life. It is necessary to listen attentively to perceive the whispers of God. In the sower’s heart lies a deep attitude of trust. He knows whom he has trusted; his love and his grace are enough when everything is at stake.I invite you to end this moment by reading the Psalm 127.Unless the Lord build the house,they labor in vain who build.Unless the Lord guard the city,in vain does the guard keep watch.It is vain for you to rise earlyand put off your rest at night,To eat bread earned by hard toil—all this God gives to his beloved in sleep.