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Dear Fellow Seekers:
Jesus used “parables” to entice his hearers to seek the mystery of God’s love with greater urgency. He want them to be ever “curious.” Today’s parables from the thirteenth chapter of Matthew’s gospel describe the “kingdom of heaven.” Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI reminded us that the first parable did not liken the kingdom to the seed or the field but to the one who sowed the seed. Who is that but Jesus himself? The kingdom is not something we create, but a relationship into which we are invited. All relationships of any value require trust. Often that trust is severely challenged, especially when those who should be trustworthy fail us and treat us unjustly. St. Gregory the Great described Christ as the grain of mustard seed that died in the sepulcher but rose as a tree in the power of his majesty. St. John Chrysostom saw Christ as the leaven that is kneaded without being destroyed but who gradually transformed the whole. Parables are not meant to perplex but to invite us into a deeper reflection on the most profound truths. On July 11, the Feast of St. Benedict, I viewed the insightful reflection of Bishop Baron on the impact of St. Benedict for the future of Christianity. Since the time of Emperor Constantine’s conversion, the structure of the Roman Empire had been used as vehicle for proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ. Benedict came on the scene in the waning days of that empire and fled the corruption of Rome for a cave at Subiaco. Others followed; and Benedict wrote a “rule” for their common life. The many communities that developed in that tradition helped preserve and enhance Christianity through very tough times. We, too, are living through an unusually challenging era. What might be the new “paradigm” that will rekindle our ardor for “the kingdom?” Maybe it is not new at all! On my many walks during these months of quarantine, I have been inspired by the sight of families doing things together. I know that patience has been severely tested and that the virtue of forgiveness has needed to be relearned many times. Nonetheless, might not the model of “Christian family life” be the “key” to a renewed search for that “kingdom” that is closer to us than we might ever imagine?
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Fr. Bill Foley