The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed

30 JULY (Mt 13,31-35)

God always starts with a small number. With man it is always the case. If we read the story of creation according to Genesis, we notice that every other thing has been created in large numbers: stars, trees, fish, and animals. God made of man a single pair. He even created only Adam first and then from Adam he made Eve. The same applies to the whole history of salvation. Noah is saved with eight people in all. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are a small number. Even in Israel there was a time when the Lord has begun with a small remainder. Jesus himself speaks of a little flock. The Psalm sings this action of God in which all his wisdom is manifested.

When they were only a few men in number, Very few, and strangers in it. And they wandered bout from nation to nation, From one kingdom to another people. He permitted no man to oppress them, And He reproved kings for their sakes: “ Do not touch My anointed ones, And do My prophets no harm.” And He called for a famine upon the land; He broke the whole staff of bread. He sent a man before them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave. They afflicted his feet with fetters, He himself was laid in irons; Until the time that his word came to pass, The word of the LORD tested him. The king sent and released him, The ruler of peoples, and set him free. He made him lord of his house And ruler over all his possessions, To imprison his princes at will, That he might teach his elders wisdom. Israel also came into Egypt; Thus Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham. And He caused His people to be very fruitful, And made them stronger than their adversaries. (Psalm 105 (104) 12-24).

Jesus comes. He announces the mystery of the kingdom of God. It is in all similar to a mustard seed. Very small indeed. However, once a new plant comes up from it, this becomes so large as to allow the birds of the air to make nests in its branches. This is the vitality of the kingdom of God. It begins with a few people: one, two, three, ten, twelve, fifteen, and twenty; but then the vitality and omnipotence of the grace make it be developed in an unthinkable way. However, the secret is just one: that the seed is a true seed and not a grain of sand. The seed has the principle of life in its womb. The grain of sand is dead. When in a converted heart there is the principle of the supernatural life, this explodes and conquers many other souls, in an almost “natural” way.

He proposed another parable to them. “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a person took and sowed in a field. It is the smallest of all the seeds, yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants. It becomes a large bush, and the ‘birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches.'” He spoke to them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch was leavened.” All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables. He spoke to them only in parables, to fulfill what had been said through the prophet: “I will open my mouth in parables, I will announce what has lain hidden from the foundation (of the world).”

Another image of the kingdom of God is the yeast. There is a great disproportion between the flour to be fermented and the yeast that is used. The former is a lot, the latter is very little. Yet, the yeast has so much vitality in itself as to ferment a large mass of dough. However, it must be true yeast, or the dough remains unleavened. If the Christian is a true Christian, a true disciple of Jesus, his true witness, his true body, a true son of God, true temple of the Holy Spirit, a true regenerated, a true evangelical man; with his new life, gradually, he will be able to ferment a lot of dough.

However, the secret of the kingdom of God is one: time. In order to grow, the mustard seed needs time. To ferment the dough, yeast also needs time. The kingdom of God is not built without time. However, time necessitates long endurance, a life totally committed to spreading the kingdom of God. We do not build the kingdom around us for two reasons: because we are not true Christians, and because, even if we are, we are for a short time. Then, we get tired of being it; for a person is not a Christian for one day, but for a life time; and perseverance tires out. We all start well. We all end up bad. Tiredness overcomes us and we do not persevere.

Virgin Mary, Mother of the Redemption, Angels, and Saints make us be persevering.