Pope Francis reminded the faithful to continue to discover the presence of God in their lives even in the midst of challenges.
In his Sunday address from Saint Peter’s Square, the pontiff said God works in people’s lives even as they feel discouraged and there is no hope.
The pope said one only has to trust God and his love is always at work through good deeds.
The pontiff commented on the two parables in the day’s Gospel reading from St. Mark.
In the first parable, Jesus compares the kingdom of God to a man who scatters seed on the land; as time passes, the seeds sprout and grow, and the man “knows not how.”
In the second parable, Jesus says the kingdom of God is like a mustard seed, “the smallest of all the seeds on the earth,” which, once it is sown “springs up and becomes the largest of plants and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade.”
The pope said “this is how God works.”
“Sometimes, the din of the world, together with the many activities that fill our days, prevent us from stopping and seeing how the Lord leads history,” he said.
“And yet — the Gospel assures us — God is at work, like a small good seed, which silently and slowly sprouts.”
Slowly, this small seed transforms into a luxurious tree, giving life and refreshment to everyone, he said, just like our own good works have the potential to do.
“The Gospel asks us to take a new look at ourselves and at reality; it asks to have bigger eyes, which know how to see beyond, especially beyond appearances, to discover the presence of God who as humble love is always at work in the terrain of our life and in that of history.”
He said good often grows in small, hidden, or even invisible ways, but “with this parable, Jesus wants to instill trust in us.”
It is easy to become discouraged when certain situations make evil seem stronger than goodness, said the pope, adding that sometimes people are “paralyzed by mistrust when we see that we are committed, but the results do not come and things never seem to change.”
“The weeds of mistrust can also take root in the Church, especially when we witness the crisis of faith and the failure of various projects and initiatives,” he said.
“But let us never forget that the results of sowing do not depend on our abilities: they depend on the action of God,” he emphasized. “It is up to us to sow, with love, commitment, patience. But the strength of the seed is divine.”
