Becoming the Kingdom (Mt.13,31-35)

When a seed is sown, a miracle begins to take place. The seed undergoes changes within itself, and then it bursts forth from the earth. The metamorphosis is hidden from our eyes, but we are certain that that new plant is the same seed, which was sown earlier. Gradually, the new plant grows into a large shrub or a big tree. Ordinarily, we do not care whether it reaches this height or extends to that measure, but before we know it, the seed, that small seed, has ‘overcome’ us.

Flour does not rise or puff. But when it does, we are certain that leaven or yeast has been added to it.

The Lord Jesus used these similes to illustrate the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is like the mustard seed . . . is like the leaven that a woman kneads with flour. Certainly, the kingdom of God is here. In fact, at the start of his ministry, Jesus boldly proclaimed that, indeed, the kingdom of God has begun to reign. The people following him recognized this, for along his words came along amazing works that evidenced it. In other words, the people knew that the kingdom of God was at hand from what they heard him say and from what they witnessed him do. Having heard that the kingdom of God would certainly grow big like the mustard seed or rise like the leaven, the people probably began to expect more magnificent manifestations from Jesus. They had every reason to expect something big every time.

But Jesus died and left for heaven. What has become of his comparison? Has the mustard stopped growing and wilted away? Has the woman run out of yeast for her flour? Has the kingdom of God gradually faded away? Is God with us?
Those who have suffered so much pain would find it hard to believe that God continues to be present in their lives.
God is here! There is questioning about this. A priest sees God in every person he ministers to. A child feels the tenderness of God as the loving touch of her mother. A wife feels the warmth of God in the caring embrace of her husband. A patient recognizes the presence of God in the face of the doctor who gently touches him. One who looks after his father who is ill feels the comfort of God as a nun pays them a visit. God is here for us. The mustard has not stopped growing nor wilted away; it has taken root in every heart that believes. The woman has not run out of yeast for her flour; the bread is being warmed on the embers in the heart of him who believes. And the heart is charity.

When I was much younger, my father and I went to my aunt’s place to watch a movie from their betamax player; we didn’t have one until several years later. The movie, about which I can no longer recall, kept us to our seats even as our bellies were long growling for lunch. My aunt invited us to take something before we left, but we declined, thinking our lunch would be ready once we get home. We were wrong. My mother invited two beggars who came to our home, one of whom was blind, to fill themselves before leaving. She must have heard the moans from down their stomachs. Or did she hear the words of Jesus?

A good friend of mine came home from the US, and we made it a point to see each other. Before my friend and I parted ways that day when we met, he gifted me a good sum of money. I declined, but he forced it into my fist. Later that day, I met with my aunt, whose husband was under medication for cancer, and she confided to me, without intending to borrow from me (I was only a student!), that she needed an amount, exactly the sum of what my friend gave me, for my uncle’s chemotherapy the next day, and she did not know where to get it. Without hesitation, I brought out the money and gave it to her.

Small miracles like these happen in the world every day. A day does not pass without ‘growths’ and ‘puffs’ that issue from the hearts of people who await the fulfillment of the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God unfolds from our hands that do charity. By becoming charity, we unroll the carpet on which God makes his way to live among us. (Fr. Tom Pascua)