Monday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time

Today's Mass Readings

The prophets are known for their unusual metaphors and images. Today’s passage from Jeremiah is a great example of this. In today’s reading, the people of Israel are compared to a rotted loincloth. As a loincloth is an intimate garment, so the people of Israel ought to have clung closely to the Lord. But because they have removed themselves from God, they have become “good for nothing” (Jer 13:7). This is insulting to the Lord precisely because God desires intimacy with his people for their own benefit. This passage indicates that pride ought to come from dependency on God, not independence from God. The latter pride is a mistaken pride that amounts to nothing; in isolation from God, the pride itself rots. The pride that comes from a dependency on God is rather a form of humility. It is a pride that gives credit where credit is due, namely, to God, the creator, redeemer, and sanctifier – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

With this image of pride as humility, we can turn to today’s gospel passage with interest. Here we have images of the Kingdom of heaven. It is noteworthy that in both of these images, the size (a mustard seed) and quantity (yeast) is small. Yet in both cases, great things result: a large bush/tree and fully leavened bread. A mustard seed and a bit of yeast both are of little significance; they indicate humble origins and small beginnings. In both cases the results seem almost miraculous; neither the seed nor the yeast actively decide for themselves to do great things. Hence they portray the Kingdom of heaven in all its glory because they show what can become of humble beginnings. The greatness of the Kingdom of heaven is tied to an utter dependence on God, and this is its pride—this is what makes the great results possible.

We often have a tendency to think that we can do everything on our own. We think that we are responsible for our own destiny. In this self-reliance we often drive ourselves away from God. It is good then, to reflect on our community’s collective dependence on God as well as our own reliance on God. Great activity is not always the answer to life’s problems. As a mustard seed grows on its own with no apparent explanation, so also can we grow in faith if we are open to God’s grace working upon us.

Today, let us take the opportunity to identify one area (of our Church community or our own individual lives) where we have become too self-reliant. Let us ask God to enter that space intimately and help the Kingdom of heaven to grow more fully.

- Maria Morrow