Gospel: Matthew 13: 24-43
We, like the disciples in the Gospel, look for the kingdom of God in all the wrong places. We think it to be a mighty empire that rivals Rome or Britain. We fashion it not unlike worldly kingdoms with rich palaces, mighty armies, and an elaborate hierarchy of bureaucracy overseeing lands and economies and all sorts of things. But then we hear Jesus speak of the kingdom, and we realize we are all wrong.
The kingdom of God is a kingdom planted within each human heart. In its own mysterious way it is destined to bear fruit so that it may provide shelter and food for others. Nothing in this kingdom goes to waste. The mustard seed, thought to be a weed, provides shelter for the birds. Even the weeds can be turned into good soil through burning and composting. All have value in the kingdom of God.
How very different from our kingdom is God's kingdom. We would tear out the weeds with reckless abandon, sweep aside mustard trees thought to be useless, and find little value in the work of women. They have little value in our kingdoms of power and domination, but in the interior castle of God's kingdom within the values are entirely different: all is of value, all are given infinite patience to realize the potential to bear great fruit.
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