In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus employs three parables to teach us about the Kingdom of God. These parables offer us the opportunity to know more about God’s way of saving the world through patience. We suffer on account of evil in the world. But the world is saved by the patience of God, and destroyed by the impatience of men and women. In spite of the evil in the world, the Kingdom of God still grows in the hearts of faithful believers. It often grows in small steps, in small acts of faith, hope and love. “Smallness” seems to be the way the Kingdom operates. In a world that often admires, prefers and celebrates the “big” and the “famous,” the hiddenness, littleness and smallness of the life faith, of the seed of the gospel, can easily convey the impression that faith belongs to the sidelines. The center has more important concerns: the economy; politics; fun; power; pleasures in all its modes and tenses; beauty; et cetera. The seed of the Gospel appears unable to compete with the stronger “powers” and concerns of the world. The Gospel appears weak, unattractive and unable to make the headlines.
 
Today, the path for the Gospel is through the hearts of the little ones, the faithful who do not make the headlines, but try to live out faith, hope and love, through tedious steps, through suffering, humiliation and pain. The path for the Gospel, the seed sown in the heart of the believer, comes with the daily cross of living for Christ, of not allowing my preferences to become the center of my life. To be honest with you, it is hard. I know what I am asking you to do is hard: not to place yourself at the center of your life. I am asking you to follow the example of St. Paul: “I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). It is very challenging to live with the uncertainties of placing my life in the hands of God, of trusting that present circumstances notwithstanding, things will turn out good for me. It is hard to live with hope when one’s actual circumstances tell a different story. And that is the reality of faith: to live with the conviction of things unseen (Hebrews 11:1). Jesus offers no guarantees of an easy life. But Jesus assures us that he will be with us every step of the way: “I am with you always, until the end of time” (Matthew 28:20). And to have Jesus with us through the uncertainties and vicissitudes of life, is not nothing. To be honest with you, it is the most beautiful thing in life: to have Jesus with you, every step of the way.
 
In the First Week of the Spiritual Exercises, St. Ignatius points out the presence of the “enemy of human nature” in a good world created by God. I really would love to call your attention to this: living out the life of the Gospel is not only a constant struggle with our human impulses, our fallen human nature, but is also a battle with the enemy of human nature, Satan. St. John’s tells us, “It was to undo the works of Satan, that the Son of God came into this world” (1 John 3:8). Satan is not a myth, not a symbolic representation of evil. Satan, the enemy that seeks to destroy the world created by God, is a fallen angel, a spiritual being, with full intellect and will. Satan’s agenda is very simple: cause us to live ungodly lives. And we deceive ourselves if we deny the reality of Satan. Let us be conscious of that. And the antidote to the influence of Satan in our lives is, first of all, prayer: to place ourselves daily under the protection of God, under the protection of the Precious Blood of Jesus. Secondly, to strive to live righteously is also an antidote to the workings of Satan. Do you know those whom Satan dreads the most? The saints. We must strive to live holy lives. Satan hates holiness. Thirdly, patient suffering undermines the power of Satan. To suffer for being faithful to Jesus: Satan is scandalized by the Cross. Satan does not understand a Suffering Messiah. And Satan will not understand your own sufferings for the sake of Christ. But I got good news for you: Do not be afraid of Satan. Remain in prayer. Persevere in holiness. Be strong in suffering. Victory belongs to the Lamb that was slain, Christ Jesus. God bless you all (Fr Maurice).