Reflections: January 29, 2016. Friday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time

January 29, 2016. Friday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time

Reflection of the Holy Gospel according to Mark 4: 26-34

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.

Reflection (Sem. Eldrick S. Pena)

In the Gospel, Jesus compares the Kingdom of God to seeds that were sown and grew, and bore much fruit and to a mustard seed, the smallest among seeds but transforms into an enormous shrub when it grows. The message is very much clear and evident, that God’s kingdom is already here with us, growing and maturing within us without us noticing its growth.

All of us therefore are invited to be instruments of the spread of God’s kingdom here on earth through our Christian life and witnessing – a life patterned after Christ himself. We are challenged by today’s gospel to grow, mature and bear much fruit through our faithful witnessing to the kingdom.

Before my entrance to the seminary in 2012, I worked as a teacher for a total of 14 years and my vocation as an educator has allowed me to accompany thousands and thousands of students in their journey – in their joys, in their pains, in their triumphs and suffering. And no amount of money can replace the joy of seeing these young people you accompanied grow, mature and bear much fruit.

Now that I am in the seminary, our apostolate is a way of being agents of the coming of God’s kingdom. We teach high school students about the faith and how this faith can further be lived and enhanced. Even though it is difficult to handle a class of more than sixty students who, most of the time is very noisy, I never get discouraged because of the fact that I am sharing Jesus and how He works and manifests Himself in our life. It becomes my motivation that gives me the drive to carry on – to proclaim Christ, especially to the young.