"You can't see the forest for the trees" (11th Sunday OT)

Yes this is extremely late. yes three weeks has gone by and I missed posting this. I must apologize, my only excuse is that I must have been lost among the trees.

On the 11th Sunday of Ordinary Time we heard from he Gospel of Mark (4:26-34) and are giving this beautiful image of the mustard seed:

"It (kingdom of God) 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 fourth large branches" (MK 4:31-32)

This image is not new for anyone who has done anything with the New Testament. It is very frequently quoted in regards to Christ, faith and the religion he left for us. Today however I want to talk about it in a new light. I want to spend time among the trees (full disclosure, i just finished my last week of work at Aquinas College, anyone who has not had the opportunity to spend time on the campus wouldn't truly understand how beautiful it is and how much of that beauty comes from the trees. I really was lost among the trees).

The mustard seed often looked at for its small size that produces greatly, like faith planted in our hearts. These little seemingly immeasurable things that can produce thins of such magnitude (trees are huge! spend time walking in a forest and really look at the trees). 

Looking at a tree, what is it? is it just a seed that is planted? is it just a large plant that shoots out of the group? or is it something so much more than that? Is a tree not at first a seed and then suddenly roots and a trunk, branches and leaves? Does this not then provide room for more growth? 

YEs our faith is like a mustard seed, yes the kingdom of God is like a mustard seed. But the Church also is a mustard seed. One planted from he droplets of blood as Christ was beaten. On that was planted in his ministry and healing works. On that has been cultivated into so much more than just a seed, more than just roots, more than just a trunk, just branches. 

A tree is all these things, how much is lost then if we only look at the seed, we only look at the roots, the leaves, so too then how much is lost when we only look at one Church teaching, on parish, one priest, one Catholic. 

Examining the trees, and the church in such a matter has reminded me of the three blind men and the elephant, in stead of typing the whole story out, here is a link to it http://www.jainworld.com/literature/story25.htm

We must look at all things in life, trees, mustard seeds, the Kingdom of God, the Church, and even elephants for what they are more than just what we see them as. Often times this means we must listen o what other people have to offer, insight that we can not gain because we lack the experience. 

Get lost in the trees, and don't lose sight of them to only see the forest, similarly don't lose sight of the forest as a whole for one tree. 

Peace and Blessings Always

~M