26 October 2022
Wednesday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time
Jesus compared the kingdom of God to a mustard seed that a man took and planted in the garden. When it was fully grown, it became a large bush and the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches. Jesus also compared the kingdom of God to yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch of dough was leavened. Sometimes great accomplishments arise from humble beginnings. A great blaze can emerge from a tiny match.
The match, itself, had a humble beginning. In 1826, a British pharmacist named John Walker was experimenting with pastes. When an experimental paste dried onto one of his stirring sticks, Walker tried to scrape it off onto his hearth, but, to his surprise, his stirring stick caught fire. Recognizing the value of what he had stumbled upon, he began to sell his invention, “friction lights,” in 1827. He did not patent them, so the technology rapidly spread.
There is no patent on the kingdom of God. It is available to all who can recognize its value. Some of us may have stumbled upon it, quite by accident. Some of us may have been seeking it eagerly for years. Although it may seem like a small thing, its grandeur will soon emerge.