Homily for the Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time June 16, 2024

OK, Lord, give me some Miracle Grow!

I was attracted to a little story entitled, “Consider the Walnut.” Intriguing: why should I consider the walnut…?

If you compare a walnut with some of the beautiful and exciting things that grow on our planet, it does not seem to be a marvelous act of creation. It is common looking, rough, not particularly attractive, and certainly not monetarily valuable.

Besides, it is small. Its growth is limited by the hard shell that surrounds it, the shell from which it never escapes on its own. Of course, though, that’s the wrong way to judge a walnut.

Break a walnut open and look inside. See how the walnut has grown to fill every nook and cranny available to it. It had no say in the size or shape of that shell, but, given those limitations, it achieved its full potential of growth.

The author concludes by remarking: How lucky we will be if, like the walnut, we blossom and bloom in every space of life that is given to us.

In today’s gospel passage, Jesus offers stories that would be quite understandable to his audience. While they knew the hard work that went into farming, they could also appreciate the sense of wonder that Jesus expresses. You start out with a tiny seed and look at what it produces: grains for food and branches in which birds can build their nests. What a remarkable transformation!

And Jesus is saying that God’s kingdom is like that: while we eat and sleep, and go about our daily life, a miracle of growth takes place. And so it is with our very life and the many gifts with which we are blessed.

Many years ago, like many of you, I spent several summers working on a tobacco farm. One of the first things we did as the growing season began was to slide along between the rows, pull the weeds, and pull off the suckers from each plant. Suckers were little, miniature growths that would appear where each leaf met the stalk. We were told that those suckers had to come off because they would rob the mother plant of vital nutrients, and the crop would not meet its full potential. Thus, the plant knew what it had to do, but we were there to help it maximize its full potential.

And so it is, in a comparable way, with the life and gifts God has given us. Let me give you an example of what I mean.

There was a series of Doonesbury comic strips telling the story of Kim, a high school student of Asian ancestry whose hard work in school won her a coveted National Merit Scholarship.

In one panel, Kim is called into the office of the principal who tells her, “Kim, I just wanted to tell you how proud all of us are about your nomination as a Merit Scholar! It’s very good news for your family and for the school. Your accomplishment demonstrates that the failure of so many kids to learn is not just the school’s fault. It reaffirms the importance of discipline and personal motivation.” “Yes, sir,” Kim replied, “but I’m not so sure everyone in the community sees it quite that way.”

And, sure enough, in the next panels, a group of parents are at the front door of Kim’s home, confronting her father. “She’s throwing off the curve for the entire school,” they complain. “How does she do so well anyway? Couldn’t you get her to watch more TV like the other children?”

Kim’s American father calmly explains that they’ve tried to instill in their daughter her culture’s values of discipline, hard work and respect for others. The other parents are taken aback for a moment. A mother protests, “But doesn’t that give her an unfair advantage?” Another father blusters, “Yeah, this is America!”

And so it is with the talents and abilities God has given us. Let’s examine ourselves. Are there suckers that are sucking the life out of our gifts? Do we see someone in need, for instance, and turn away because of indifference? Do we see an injustice being committed, and we choose not to say anything because of fear? Do we know a lonely person aching for our visit, but we stay away because we’re just too busy with stuff that seems more important? Do we fail to spend quality time with our families or friends, even though we say they are important to us? Do we see a glaring need but do nothing because someone else can do it?

Perhaps God’s Word, which we hear week after week, has simply become part of the routine. A formality, once a week. Perhaps we need to let down our defenses and open our hearts so that God can pull off some of the suckers and pull up some of the weeds which get in the way of our living a full life, sapping our potential and leaving us feeling unfulfilled. Surely, God gives the gifts, God gives the growth, but maybe we’re not producing as we should. In that case, maybe we need to open ourselves up and pray, if you’ll forgive the pun, “OK, Lord, give me some Miracle Grow! Help me to thrive, and not just exist.”