THE POWER OF SMALL BEGINNINGS

 

HOMILY FOR THE ELEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, YEAR B

Fr. Ugochukwu Ugwoke, ISch

Readings: Ezekiel 17:22-24, 2 Corinthians 5:6-10, Mark 4:26-34

 

Life is all about small beginnings and with the parable of the Mustard Seed in the gospel reading of today, Jesus also teaches us that the Kingdom of heaven of heaven develops in us like in a seed form. The seed is first planted, before it sprouts and grows to become the biggest of all shrubs that the birds of the air come to nest in its branches (Mark 4:230-34).

This parable holds a lot of lessons for us. First, it shows us that greatness is always hidden in small things. Second, small beginnings, if they are not despised, can bring about greatness. This second lesson is what we also find in the book of the prophet Zechariah, “Do not despise the day of small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin” (Zech. 4:10). The third lesson to be drawn from the parable of the Mustard Seed is that we can make big impacts in the society if the right seeds are sown. Small things, if well invested, can be transformed into great things.

Sadly, we live in a time of quick fixes, when very many people are in a rush to become great overnight. We all want to make great achievements, but we lack the patience to begin small and to wait for our small beginning to bear fruit. This quest to be great while lacking the needed patience, has led many people into doing many ungodly things. In a time when we hear about people who commit all sorts of atrocities in their quest to be rich and great, Jesus in the gospel reading of today admonishes us to take life easy.

Dear friend, there is no greatness without training and starting small is paying the price that will sustain our rise. Experience has taught us that those who are not patient to start small often crash out of greatness. It is like building a house without beginning from the foundation. Small beginning helps us to build the foundation for the seed that God has sown in us to grow. It gives us time to dig and evaluate our plans. One of the reasons why many people fail to achieve their God-given dream is because they did not take time to dig the needed foundation. The deeper we dig our foundations in the days of our small beginnings, the higher and more durable, the edifice we erect on it.

The mustard seed did not become the greatest of all shrubs overnight. It began as a small seed that was planted. It must have also gone through series of pruning before developing into the biggest of all trees. Do not despise the days of your little beginnings. Take a look at someone who is trying to quit a bad habit or trying to shed some weight. At first, it will look as if your efforts are yielding no result. The first move will be to discontinue whatever you are doing to reach your own. Again, take a look at the life of a butterfly and other insects. Most of them started as caterpillars but developed into the beautiful insects they are today. It is the same with greatness. It does not look like it in the beginning. It may even seem as if you are heading nowhere, but be patient and wait for the result. Trust both the process and progress.

Lastly, the parable of this Sunday encourages us never to be discouraged in our journey to greatness. Do not be discouraged to start where you are and as you are. If you wait to start big, you may have to wait till eternity. God has planted a seed in each one of us. Do not waste God’s investment in your life by being impetuous and lazy. Today is a good day to begin. May our small beginnings lead us to a great ending. Amen.