Posted by The WORD in other words by Fr Xene Sanchez SVD – Kinshasa, Congo
Monday 17th Week in Ordinary Time
The development of the Church in the Democratic Republic of Congo has been amazing. As early as the 15th century, the King of the Congo Kingdom embraced Catholicism. However, the Portuguese missionaries who were sent there encountered grave difficulties and perished, causing the faith they had sown to almost vanish.
In the late 19th century, when the Belgians occupied the country and invited missionaries, the Catholic Church began to grow exponentially. Today, half of the 70 million population belongs to the Catholic Church. Its schools, hospitals, and development projects are uplifting the people’s living conditions. Its impact in the country is immeasurable. The country has the largest and liveliest Christian community in all of Africa.
Matthew compiled a collection of 7 parables of Jesus on the kingdom of heaven. Deliberately choosing a perfect number, he placed the parables in the middle of the Gospel to emphasize their importance. The two parables of today convey the same message: the kingdom of heaven starts very insignificantly and invisibly but grows significantly, bringing about change and benefiting the people.
The mustard seed parable would appeal to people who work in the field. It is so small that it is almost invisible. But it can grow twice the height of a human being. Jesus loves the mustard seed so much because he also compares it to the smallest size of faith that alone can move mountains (Mt 17:20)!
The yeast parable would appeal to those who work in the kitchen. One loses sight of the yeast absorbed by the dough, but its effect is very visible. In a mysterious and silent way, the kingdom of heaven is transforming the hearts of people as well as society as a whole.
The seed and the yeast apply to the Word of God, the Church and to you.
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