Sowing and harvesting

Father Sylvain Brison

in Magnificat

The two parables about the Kingdom that we hear today highlight different aspects of the Kingdom, such as its unfolding over time, or its often-overlooked grandeur. Although our Western societies are becoming less and less agrarian, while still sensitive to the difficulties faced by the agricultural world, these teachings are easily understood because they touch on something natural in our experience of life. However, we can also read in them a deeper and more fundamental catechesis that invites us to understand the world differently.

Growth and development

The parable of the sprouting wheat seed emphasizes growth: the farmer did not give the grain the strength to grow; he does not know how. The earth, of its own accord, produces the grass, then the ear of grain, and finally the wheat. The farmer cannot influence the plant's growth on his own; at best, he can care for it by preparing the soil, fertilizing it, and protecting it as much as he can, but growth and fruitfulness do not belong to him. Thus, the Kingdom has its own rules and finds its strength in God's saving will. The second parable of the mustard seed underscores this aspect in the contrast between the apparent smallness of the seed and the greatness of the plant, which no longer serves only humankind, but all of creation, since even birds come to nest in it. The Kingdom that is growing in the world, as the work of God, brings salvation not only to man, but it transforms all of creation, for God is the one who makes all things new.

The humility and grandeur of Christ

But these parables can also be interpreted on another, more fundamental, more Christological level. Saint John Chrysostom, when meditating on this Gospel passage, draws our attention to the contrast highlighted by the story: “What is greater than the kingdom of heaven and smaller than a mustard seed?” The answer is Christ, who is both the seed of the Kingdom through his incarnation in the world and the fulfillment of this kingdom in his resurrection. In the simplicity of the child in the manger who grows to adulthood, Almighty God makes himself the humblest, the smallest of men, like the mustard seed. In the magnificence of his resurrection, the Father establishes him as Lord and Christ above all creation, recapitulating all of creation in himself.

The Mystery of the Kingdom

These two interpretations invite us to welcome the Kingdom in the person of Christ, who gives himself to us out of love so that we may nurture it and foster its growth—a growth that, nevertheless, eludes us—so that it may reach all men and women of this world. It is not for us to decide or guide what is beyond our understanding, but to be at the service of his power of love and peace for the good of all and of the world, which so desperately needs it. In this year 2024, dedicated to prayer, let us pray to Christ to establish his kingdom in our hearts.