Homily for Friday of the 3rd Week in Ordinary Time

Once again, this morning, we hear Jesus telling people something very important in parables, in simple words and metaphors with which they are familiar and that lead them to understand a deeper reality; a deeper truth about God.

Today, He uses the metaphor of a tiny seed growing into the largest of plants, providing much room and shade to provide shelter for numerous birds of the air. He uses this part of life, with which the people are quite familiar, to describe the kingdom of God.

As the Church, the Body of Christ on earth, we are called – collectively and individually – to be a part of building up the kingdom of God on earth. We are called to take our seeds, that is, our gifts, talents, and skills, no matter how small, and to plant them in our world, and to let the grace of God give strength to our efforts to bring about the kingdom of God.+