11th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year B
Fr. Mark Gatto
Preached: June 17, 2018
“We walk by faith, not by sight.” St. Paul is speaking of seeing with the eyes of faith. This allows us to see below the surface, beyond the superficial. To see with the eyes of God. Spiritual conversion is about seeing in a new way.
Jesus then tells the parable of the mustard seed, such a small seed, yet it grows into a large tree that provides much coverage. God is at work, the Kingdom of God is in our presence. Even when we do not see it, when we do not feel it. It is not just in the biggest, or loudest, or most famous do we find the presence of God. Often it is in the smallest, the most silent, the least known. But, we need to see with the eyes of faith.
God’s work is not always seen in the big news item, or the latest facebook post or a much read tweet.
See parents sacrificing and lovingly caring for their children, not in the news, not a big thing, yet it brings something good in our world.
See Grandparents praying for their grandchildren and bringing them to church, not a big thing, it seems small, yet it produces something good in our world.
See a friend who is quietly supporting a friend who is going through a hard time. Not noticed by others, not a big thing, but it brings something good into our world.
One person choosing to be honest, not noticed by anyone, a seeming small thing, yet it produces something good in our world.
All of these seem small, not noticed, yet bring love into the world. God takes these small acts and brings something much larger out of them. But we need to see with the eyes of faith.
The Sacraments can help us walk by faith. Basic definition is that a Sacrament is a visible sign of invisible grace. In the sacraments we need to be able to recognize and see the grace of God in these Sacramental actions.
In the Eucharist, we see the grace of the presence of Jesus, in the people gathered as the body of Christ, and in bread and wine consecrated on the altar.
Sacraments are important because they help us to see more clearly in the rest of our life. We begin to recognize God at work in our daily lives, in our daily encounters. It is not that we see Jesus present in the Eucharist and not in the rest of our lives. Rather it is that we see Jesus present in the Eucharist and so are able to recognize Jesus in our daily lives, in the poor, in our neighbour.
Do you want to be Spiritual? Go home and see everyone and everything in a new way. See them with the eyes of faith.
There is a story of a King who walked through his Kingdom with bare feet. He was finding his feet sore from the rocks and hard ground. So, he asked his wise counsellor to arrange to have the whole kingdom paved with a soft cloth so that his feet would no longer hurt. The counsellor turned to him and said that he had an easier solution. Just attach a piece of cloth to each of his feet and then no matter where he walked, it would be soft.
Our spirituality does not want to change everyone else and everything else in our life. It allows us to see everyone else and everything else in a new way, with the eyes of faith.
