Mark 31-32
"It is as a grain of mustard seed: which when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that are in the earth: And when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches, so that the birds of the air may dwell under the shadow thereof."
There must have been laughter when they heard this. 'Oh, really?' you can hear them say, 'Has this guy actually seen a mustard plant?'
+++
Maybe Jesus aims at a different picture of what His Church should be, a self-consciously different model, from what the world might expect.
To be saved, one might assume, is to walk as a giant among men. He who is saved soars like an eagle on the wings of faith, carried high above the world, riding unperturbed on the thermals of human affairs ... such grace ... such majesty ... such a crock!
Jesus came to save sinners; the Church he founded is a refuge for sinners. One of the greatest antidotes to many of our sins is a sense of humour, the readiness not to take ourselves too seriously.
The image of a little sparrow, clinging to a little bush, rocking crazily in the breeze ... might be a more realistic if less romantic image ...
Of course, sin must be taken seriously, it's nothing to laugh about. But for most of us, most of the time, our sins, being venial, would 'get us down' only if we stood on our own dignity. An eagle perched on a cliff-top crag might fret if a single feather were out of place. A sparrow trying to find a foothold in a windswept field of mustard does not have that luxury.
When we consider our sins, let us acknowledge our littleness, the foolishness of our foibles, and be ready to laugh at the muddle we get into. That may help us view another's foibles with affectionate humour, and avoid being affronted when they behave like the cheeky sparrows for whom the Church is home.
(from a homily on the Feast of Corpus Christi by Fr Richard Conrad OP)
"It is as a grain of mustard seed: which when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that are in the earth: And when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches, so that the birds of the air may dwell under the shadow thereof."
There must have been laughter when they heard this. 'Oh, really?' you can hear them say, 'Has this guy actually seen a mustard plant?'
+++
Maybe Jesus aims at a different picture of what His Church should be, a self-consciously different model, from what the world might expect.
To be saved, one might assume, is to walk as a giant among men. He who is saved soars like an eagle on the wings of faith, carried high above the world, riding unperturbed on the thermals of human affairs ... such grace ... such majesty ... such a crock!
Jesus came to save sinners; the Church he founded is a refuge for sinners. One of the greatest antidotes to many of our sins is a sense of humour, the readiness not to take ourselves too seriously.
The image of a little sparrow, clinging to a little bush, rocking crazily in the breeze ... might be a more realistic if less romantic image ...
Of course, sin must be taken seriously, it's nothing to laugh about. But for most of us, most of the time, our sins, being venial, would 'get us down' only if we stood on our own dignity. An eagle perched on a cliff-top crag might fret if a single feather were out of place. A sparrow trying to find a foothold in a windswept field of mustard does not have that luxury.
When we consider our sins, let us acknowledge our littleness, the foolishness of our foibles, and be ready to laugh at the muddle we get into. That may help us view another's foibles with affectionate humour, and avoid being affronted when they behave like the cheeky sparrows for whom the Church is home.
(from a homily on the Feast of Corpus Christi by Fr Richard Conrad OP)
