11th Sunday of the ordinary time
Readings: Ezekiel 17: 22-24 2 Corinthians 5:6-10 Mark 4: 26-34
Theme: Faith in God
Today is the 11th Sunday of the year B. In today’s liturgy, we see the fact that we serve a God who is capable of bringing forth something from nothing. And this idea is seen in the readings presented to us today. The prophet Ezekiel makes it very clear that we serve a God that is capable of changing our situation. He gives us a message of hope. He gives us a message of restoration. He gives us a message of liberation. At the time Ezekiel was prophesying, the Israelites were going through difficulties in captivity at Babylon.
The prophesy of Ezekiel was a great source of encouragement to the people of Israel. In the same way God is telling us today that he is going to change our story, no matter the situation we are going through at the moment. He is capable of changing the narrative of our life. He is capable of bringing forth transformation, just the way he did it in the lives of the Israelites. The question is do we have faith and believe in God? Because the faith we have in God to a great extent will help in the realization of what we seek.
The 2nd reading encourages us to live a life that is worthy of our call as Christians and children of God. A solid life that is built on faith in God. That is why my brothers and sisters, let us live like people who know and believe that our life will not end here on earth, because there is life after death. Life changes after death, not ended.
In the gospel reading of today, we see the mustard seed is being compared to what heaven looks like. Now my brothers and sisters, the mustard seed is the smallest of all the seeds. When it is planted, it is sown into the Earth, it grows into a big tree, and nobody knows how it grows, nobody knows how it has happened, but God alone knows how it has happened. It is the same for the kingdom of the Heaven. The more we grow our faith in God, the more it is possible to realize the salvation we preach and seek.
On this 11th Sunday, the Lord is saying to you and I that there is need for us to make effort to live a life that is worthy of the name Christian. A life that is rooted in the faith and the love of God is what we need our practice of Christianity. The question is, are we ready to walk the talk? It is not just enough to say it; we have to resolve to practice it in our daily lives. This is necessary if we truly want to attain salvation. If we can grow our faith, he will continue to bless the labor of our hands, and grant us the grace for salvation. That is why my brothers and sisters, we should continue to make sincere efforts to ensure that we bear fruits that will last, fruits that will be pleasing to God and will help us attain salvation.
We pray in this Eucharistic celebration that the lord will give us the graces we need to bear good fruits in our life. May the lord bless his word in our hearts. Peace be with you.