July 28: Seeds / Semillas

The four Gospels are filled with Jesus’ teaching that the Kingdom is present, often in hidden and unspectacular ways – like seeds. Seeds disappear into the ground and die. Yeast, too, is invisible when mixed into the batch. Elsewhere Jesus spoke of salt – which, like yeast, becomes invisible. Jesus’ way, therefore, is the way of humility and love. He never sought popularity and He never resorted to spectacular shows of God’s almighty power. Instead, He urged patience and persistence, especially when it comes to God’s grace being allowed to grow in our hearts.

The logic of the Gospels, by our world’s standards, is often surprising and it is the logic of paradox: the first will be the last, the weak are the strong, the greatest are the least, the poorest will be the richest, the weakest are the strongest, the lost will be the saved, the lowest are the highest, and to die is to live. In modern terms: the okay are not okay, and there’s more hope for us “not-okay” people than we realize. May God bless us with patience and persistence as His love for us grows day by day.

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Jesus nos dice: “El Reino de los Cielos se parece a un grano de mostaza que uno siembra en su huerta; aunque es la más pequeña de las semillas, cuando crece es más alta que las hortalizas; se hace un arbusto más alto que las hortalizas, y vienen los pájaros a anidar en sus ramas.” Mateo 13, 31-35

A nosotros nos va lo inmediato, el ya ahora, sin esperas ni demoras. Pero todo crecimiento es lento, tan lento que es casi invisible. Todo lo que crece necesita tiempo. Ese es el modo cómo la palabra de Dios, en la que creemos, tiene que crecer en medio de nosotros y construir un Reino donde la gente responda al Dios fiel con fidelidad y realice los planes del mismo Dios. Que Él nos bendiga con paciencia.