By Fr. Bel R. San Luis, SVD
A young man who was known for his impatience once prayed, “Lord, give me patience…and I want it now!” (Wow, his impatience must really that bad).
We grow impatient with everything, even with God.
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Seeing so much evil around, the slow progress in economic recovery, nagging problems about low salaries amidst ballooning prices in the market, conflicts at home or in office, we complain: “Why does God not do something? Is God’s silence a proof of His inexistence?”
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Jesus provides some answers in this Sunday’s twin parables of the seed. The kingdom of heaven is like a seed growing.
Growth, as we know, is a slow process. The seed has to germinate, sprout, then mature. The right attitude, Christ teaches, is to be patient and allow God’s action to take its course.
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During Christ’s time there were the Zealots who wanted to force the advent of the kingdom by violence and seizure of power. (Today’s counterparts in our country would be the rebels and terrorists). Force and violence have no place in the divine plan.
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In the subsequent parable of the mustard seed, Christ uses it to teach that the Kingdom of God may be small and insignificant but it grows until it becomes the biggest shrub. Mustard is not common in the Philippines. The seed of “santol” or “duhat” may be closer to our experience.
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Sometimes when we see so much hatred, poverty and unhappiness around us, we tend to ask, “Are we making any progress in the world or society? Is there more evil happening than good?”
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Let’s not be pessimists but optimists who see the good things happening in the world. Think of the progress, for instance, made in civil rights. Human beings were sold as slaves some decades ago but that’s a thing of the past.
Science has made advances that make life better like the computer and amazing communications technology. Medical successes have helped immensely heal the sick afflicted with various ailments of the heart and cancer. The miracles in Lourdes happening since 1858 and other places do testify that there is a God who really cares.
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One important thing to remember, though. We should not be passive spectators in God’s plan but active participants.
God works in and through us, to make this world a “little heaven” where justice, truth, love and freedom reign.
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If we Christians have to make an impact today we have to do that by the TESTIMONY OF CHRISTIAN LIVING. What we need today are less nominal Christians but more Christian WITNESSES, less talkers but more DOERS of God’s Word.
As St. Paul exhorts: “Do not be conquered by evil but conquer evil with good” (Rom 12,21).
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TODAY IS FATHER’S DAY. Let us thank and honor all FATHERS for without them there could be no mothers. Let us pray especially to St. Joseph, the exemplary father of Jesus, for all fathers – married, separated or widowed; wise or otherwise.
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FAMILY TV MASS – aired on IBC 13 (channel 15 cable) at 7-8 a.m. every Sunday. PRAY WITH US ON TV.
