Today, we heard the stories of the two parables of mustard seed and yeast. What do these two parables have in common? Each of the two parables demand patience, because there is a time of waiting. The farmer must wait for the mustard seed to grow. It doesn’t become a tree overnight. The woman baking bread must wait for some time before the yeast causes the bread to rise.
Like the mustard seed which when it grows become a huge tree that the birds of the sky nets on them, we are reminded that the kingdom of God is for all people and not for a selected few. Everyone is welcome to it. Hence, we are all special in the eyes of God.
God’s kingdom is in our midst, it is at work, often hidden or unseen. The parable of yeast and flour. We are called to be yeast in our society. The kingdom of God is already and not yet though making a difference.
The life of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, the Founder of the Society of Jesus or the Jesuits, whose feast day is today is a reminder of the mustard seed and of the yeast that Jesus talked about in today, gospel.
Today’s feast is in honor of Saint Ignatius Loyola. Ignatius’s early years were turbulent. As a young man he was attracted into a life in the military. During his military carrier he was injured in a battle. It was at this stage in his life that he faced a life-changing moment and encounter with God. With this spiritual awakening, he committed himself to a life that is dedicated to the greater glory of God alone.
Later in life he founded a religious order, the Society of Jesus (The Jesuits), whose motto is ‘Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam’, (“For the Greater Glory of God”). Our Holy Father Pope Francis is a Jesuit. Jesuits continue to dedicate themselves and their efforts in always serving the Lord.
Like Saint Ignatius of Loyola, may we remain faithful and dedicate ourselves in shining the light of Christ to the world. May we become for many a shining beacon of God’s light and truth.
As Saint Mother Teresa fondly said “We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.”
