Feast of Saints Timothy & Titus, Bishops and Evangelists.
"Jesus said to the crowds:
“This is how it is with the Kingdom of God; it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land and would sleep and rise night and day and the seed would sprout and grow, he knows not how. Of its own accord the land yields fruit, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once, for the harvest has come.”
He said, “To what shall we compare the Kingdom of God, or what parable can we use for it? It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth. But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade.”
"With many such parables he spoke the word to them as they were able to understand it. Without parables he did not speak to them, but to his own disciples he explained everything in private." (Mark 4: 26 - 34).
Timothy (+ 97). Jewish mother and a Greek father. He was ordained by St Paul as Bishop of Ephesus. He was a disciple of Paul and traveled with Paul in some of his missionary journeys.
Titus (+ 96 or 107). A native of the island of Crete. Ordained Bishop of Crete by St Paul. Both Timothy and Titus had very difficult churches to oversee in Ephesus and Crete respectively.
Why does Jesus compare the Kingdom of God with a mustard seed? To teach future generations of Christians never to despise small beginnings. Everything is created small.
The mustard seed is a very tiny seed and therefore liable to be lost without regret, thrown away without remorse. Jesus gives us the best analogy of the the humble beginning of the Church in the Parable of the Mustard Seed.
The Kingdom of God is a mystery. The life inside the tiny mustard seed is a mystery. The tiny spermatozoon is packed with a DNA that is a mystery.
Do not despise the small beginning. Do not thrash the Church and its mysteries because you do not understand them.
The mystery of faith calls for only one response: Belief. When you believe, you stand the chance that you can understand. Believe always comes first.
"Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for revealing the mysteries of the Kingdom to mere children." (Matthew 11: 25).
Accept the Kingdom of God like a little child.
“Faith in Jesus and in the power of His Holy Name is the greatest spiritual force in the world today.... " (Blessed Henry Suso - 1290 to 1365).
For the Litany of the Most Holy Name of Jesus and prayer intentions click the link below:
http://seekfirst.blogspot.com/2023/12/litany-of-most-holy-name-of-jesus.html?m=1
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