Friars Corner: Praise God while we grow in his word

Fr. Bob Hilz, TOR

Ezekiel 17:22-14; Psalm 92:2-3, 13-16; 2 Corinthians 5:6-10; Mark 4:26-34

In Second Corinthians today, St. Paul speaks about how we endure many trials while living in our earthly bodies. After his conversion, Paul endured many trials, while he went on many missionary journeys to tell others about the wonders and blessings of knowing Jesus and his new kingdom. We all endure many trials while in our earthly bodies. I would like to be praising God with the angels and saints in heaven, yet part of my work in my body now is to speak to you today.

The theme this week is seeing the creative and productive hand of God at work in all creation. In the first reading from Ezekiel, God took a tender shoot from the top of a cedar tree and planted it in productive ground. It grew up to become a “majestic cedar,” housing many birds under its branches. In the Franciscan Friary where I live, we have a majestic blue spruce pine tree about thirty feet tall. It is a few yards from two bird feeders. During the winter and spring, that big tree is home to a variety of birds that nest on its branches. I call it our Loretto Condominium. It is inspiring to watch so many birds go from feeders to that great tree. How God provides for his own.

Two stories of God working

In his gospel today, St. Mark gives us two stories Jesus told to the crowds who came to hear him. These stories are something like our old nursery rhymes. They made people think. To Jesus’ closest friends, he gave the meanings of the stories.

These two stories or parables describe God’s new kingdom. The first one speaks about a farmer sowing seed, which at first secretly grows. The farmer hopes for an abundant harvest.

The second parable is more like the Ezekiel story. That kingdom story is about a small mustard seed. Though the smallest of seeds, it grows to become the largest of plants. It shelters multiple birds with its branches.

These Biblical stories show God continually at work in his creation. We see spring and winter, planting and harvesting, growth and pruning, nice sunny days, rainy seasons and “pruning,” fires, storms and earthquakes.

Fathers Day and marriage

This weekend in the USA we celebrate Fathers Day. This is definitely a great and vital part of God’s plan. In Genesis, Adam was lonely for a partner. God gave him Eve to help God continue human life on earth. Adam and Eve were friends, partners, creators and educators for their children and God’s.

Each spouse is similar but different. Their brains are wired differently and their bodies help in reproduction. Men help create children but are not designed to carry a baby inside their bodies. Each parent has a special purpose in caring for and mentoring their children to grow up and continue God’s process.

As a world and our Jewish Christian nation, we need to do much more to help young married couples grow beyond their coupling processes to create a beautiful life from the unique differences in their personalities, temperaments, likes and dislikes. They have to learn how to relate lovingly to each other and with their parental relatives. We all have some difficult persons in our families. Mothers and fathers have different and complementary responsibilities within their family unit. They have to create a relationship that never existed before.

Fathers have a special overall responsibility to “pastor and mentor the family.” This does not minimize the role of wife and mother, who is not a slave but an equal partner in life. The absence of a father in the home for stability is a major problem in many countries. Sons who do not grow up being loved and mentored by their fathers into manhood develop many problems. Fathers should be leading their families, especially their sons, in physical and spiritual ways. Charles Coulson’s prison ministry learned that most men there today grew up in a fatherless home.

How to support our married couples

As a church and society, we must do much more to help young married couples grow through the early years of their marriage. We can help by guidance, mentoring and building up our young men to assume the great and respected role of becoming good and loving spouses and then parents.

When I see a parent or parents with their children, I congratulate them for having children. Each of us grew from one egg of our mother and one sperm from our father. From the first cell until now see what God has allowed us to grow into. God can always help us. At the end of our life here, we all shall be judged on what we have done here. Hopefully, we will listen to God’s guidance, get closer to him in this life, and do what is right and proper, so we can claim our God-given inheritance in heavenly glory.

For all fathers reading this few paragraphs, Happy and Blessed Father’s Day. None of us are perfect. Let us all thank our fathers, forgive them for their mistakes and ask forgiveness for our mistakes. Let us pray for more of God’s graces in their lives. We all have difficult tasks to accomplish in this life. God does give us his help each day to do our work.

Prayerful blessings to all of you.

• Fr. Bob Hilz
  (© 2018 Fr. Bob Hilz, TOR)