Gospel Mt 13:31-34
He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened. Jesus told the crowds all these things in parables; without a parable he told them nothing.

The message
Their future doesn’t look very promising. After all, Jesus and his followers are just a small group of people in a small little corner of Palestine, with few friends among the religious leaders or those in authority, and with a message that doesn’t seem to be reaching very far.
So Jesus tries to get the disciples to imagine what the kingdom of God will be like. He uses images, little stories or parables, to paint a picture of the kingdom of God and its future growth.
His listeners know that the mustard seed is tiny, yet Jesus tells them that from the smallest of seeds comes a tree so large the birds can nest in it. The kingdom of God is like that mustard seed, he says.
A second image hammers home his point. The kingdom of God is like the yeast a woman mixes in with flour. A small amount of yeast has a huge effect - it has the power to produce bread for a lot of people. The kingdom of God is like yeast, Jesus tells them.
The message of the parables is clear: The kingdom of God may have small, unimpressive beginnings, but like the mustard seed and the yeast, it will grow into something big and have an effect out of proportion to its humble start.

The lesson
This is a bleak time for the Church in Ireland and elsewhere. There is a real sense that we are in the midst of a crisis. Bishops have had to step down, people are giving up the practice of the faith; many who remain feel angry, confused and demoralised.
It can seem like the mustard seed is shrivelling up; that the yeast has lost its power. It can seem that the promise Jesus made is turning to ashes, and that, far from expanding, the kingdom of God is contracting and even dying.
That is why it is so important to hold fast to the promise Jesus made to his disciples and to us. Jesus tells us that the kingdom of God will flourish because it is God’s will that it flourishes. And we are called to trust Jesus. We trust him by putting our trust in small things and in God's grace.

The challenge
Think about those who have been a seed, a leaven in your life, those family members or others who shaped and inspired you to become the person you are. How can you be a seed, a leaven in the lives of others in these difficult times?
Think about those who feel excluded from or hurt by the Church for whatever reason. How can you be a little mustard seed, a gram of yeast in their lives that transforms and heals and builds up? What might you need to change in your thinking or your attitudes so as to help bring about real change in the Church?

The Prayer
“Lord, help me to hasten the flowering of God’s kingdom of justice, peace and love by being a seed, a leaven in the life of my Church and my community. Amen.”

--- Prayers for the Mass ---

Opening Prayer
Father, help us to see the values
that will bring us lasting joy
in this changing world.
In our desire for what you promise,
make us one in mind and heart,
through Christ our Lord.

Prayer over the Gifts:
May the gifts we offer
Increase our love for you,
And bring us to eternal life.
We ask this through Christ Our Lord.

Concluding Prayer:
Lord, you guide your people along the right path,
And give us a joy that can only be found in you.
May the food we receive in this Eucharist
Increase our faith and lead us to eternal life.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.