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Reading from the book of Exodus. In
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those days, Moses returned from the top
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of the mountain carrying in his hands
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the two tablets of the covenant law
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which were written on both sides. They
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were the work of God. And the writing
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engraved on them was the very writing of
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God. When Joshua heard the tumult to the
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people shouting, he said to Moses,
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"There are war cries in the camp." Moses
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replied, "They are not shouts of victory
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or shouts of defeat. What I hear are the
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voices of people singing." When he
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approached the camp and saw the calf and
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the dancing, Moses became enraged and
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threw the tablets to the ground,
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breaking them at the foot of the
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mountain. Then he took the calf they had
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made, burned it, and ground it to
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powder. Then he sprinkled the powder on
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the water and made the children of
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Israel drink it. Moses said to Aaron,
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"What have these people done to you that
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you have brought such a great sin upon
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them?" Aaron replied, "Let not my Lord
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be angry. You know that these people are
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bent on evil." They said to me, "Make us
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gods who will go before us. For as for
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Moses, who brought us up out of the land
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of Egypt, we do not know what has become
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of him." So I said to them, "Who among
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you has gold?" They brought gold and
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gave it to me, and I threw it into the
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fire, and out came this calf. The next
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day Moses said to the people, "You have
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committed a very great sin. But I will
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go up to the Lord to see if by any means
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I can obtain forgiveness for your sin."
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Moses returned to the Lord and said,
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"Ah, these people have committed a very
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great sin. They have made for themselves
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gods of gold. Please forgive them this
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sin or else blot me out of the book you
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have written. The Lord answered Moses.
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It is the one who has sinned against me
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that I will blot out of my book. And now
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go lead these people to where I told
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you. My angel will go before you. But
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when the day of punishment comes, I will
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punish them for this sin of theirs. The
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word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
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Proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus
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Christ according to St. Matthew. Glory
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to you, Lord. At that time Jesus told
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them another parable. The kingdom of
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heaven is like a mustard seed that a man
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took and swed in his field. Though it is
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the smallest of all the seeds, when it
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grows, it becomes larger than the other
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plants, and it becomes a tree, so that
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the birds come and nest in its branches.
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Then he told them another parable. The
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kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a
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woman took and mixed into three measures
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of flour until it worked all through.
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Jesus spoke all this to the crowds in
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parables. He did not say anything to
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them without a parable to fulfill what
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was spoken through the prophet. I will
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open my mouth in parables. I will
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proclaim things hidden since the
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creation of the world. Word of
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salvation. Glory to you, Lord.
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Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
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imagine for a moment that you are
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tending a garden. You have planted a
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small, almost imperceptible seed in the
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dark, seemingly barren soil. Days pass,
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weak stretch, and there is no sign of
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life. You begin to doubt. Perhaps the
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seed was dead. Perhaps the soil was
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unsuitable. Perhaps you have wasted your
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time and energy. But then one day, a
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tiny green leaf breaks the surface. It
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is so small that it almost goes
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unnoticed, but it is there. a promise of
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life, growth, and abundance. This image
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invites us to reflect deeply on today's
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readings, which present us with a
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dramatic contrast between human
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impatience and divine patience, between
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our spectacular failures and the quiet
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victories of God. In the first reading,
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we encounter one of the most dramatic
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and shameful scenes in Israel's history.
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Moses descends from Mount Si carrying
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the tablets of the law written by the
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very finger of God. What a moment it
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must have been. Imagine the
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anticipation, the somnity, the reverence
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that should have marked this meeting
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between heaven and earth. But instead of
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encountering a people in prayer and
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worship, Moses encounters a scene of
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rampant paganism. The people had built a
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golden calf and were worshiping it with
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dancing and festivities. In a moment of
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righteous anger, Moses breaks the sacred
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tablets, a symbolic gesture representing
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the breaking of the covenant between God
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and his people. The irony is
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devastating. While God was literally
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carving his law in stone to deliver to
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the people, these same people were
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violating the first and most fundamental
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commandment. You shall have no other
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gods before me. It was a betrayal that
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happened at lightning speed, an almost
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instantaneous apostasy. When Moses
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confronts Aaron about this unbelievable
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situation, his response is almost
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comical in its absurdity. You know this
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people and you know that they are
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inclined to evil. They said to me, "Make
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us gods to go before us, for we do not
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know what has happened to Moses." I said
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to them, "Whoever has gold, let him take
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it." They gave it to me, and I threw it
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into the fire, and out came this calf.
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And out came this calf. as if by magic,
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as if Aaron were merely an innocent
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bystander to a spontaneous miracle. This
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is human nature at its rawest, our
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tendency to rationalize our mistakes, to
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minimize our responsibility, to blame
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circumstances for our deliberate
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choices. But what strikes me deeply in
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this narrative is not just the people's
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unfaithfulness, but Moses' response.
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After confronting sin, after executing
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justice, he returns to the Lord not with
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accusations against the people, but with
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courageous intercession. Ah, this people
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has committed a great sin by making
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themselves gods of gold. Now, if you are
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willing, forgive their sin. If not, blot
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me out of your book, too. What
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sacrificial love. Moses is willing to be
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condemned along with the people he
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loves. He is willing to share the fate
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of those for whom he intercedes. This is
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a powerful prefiguration of what Christ
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would do for all humanity. Take our
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condemnation upon himself so that we
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might receive his forgiveness. And God's
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response reveals his merciful nature.
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Whoever has sinned against me, I will
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blot out of my book. Go now, lead the
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people to the place I have told you.
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Behold, my angel will go before you.
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Despite betrayal, despite infidelity,
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God does not abandon his people. The
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journey continues. The covenant endures.
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The promise remains. Now, let's
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transition to the gospel where we find
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Jesus telling parables about the kingdom
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of heaven. At first glance, it might
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seem like these readings have nothing in
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common. One speaks of spectacular
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failure, the other of gradual growth.
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One portrays drama and crisis. The other
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describes quiet, almost imperceptible
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processes. But there is a profound
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connection here. Both readings address
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the nature of God's work in the world
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and in our lives. In Exodus, we see how
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God works through crisis, failure, and
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restoration. In the Gospel, we see how
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God works through gradual, almost
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invisible, yet inevitable growth. Jesus
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compares the kingdom of heaven to a
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mustard seed. The smallest of all seeds.
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What a humble image. If you've ever seen
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a mustard seed, you know it's almost
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microscopic. You could easily miss it if
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it fell to the ground. It seems
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insignificant, unimportant, easily
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forgotten. But Jesus tells us that this
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tiny seed when planted becomes larger
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than the other plants in the garden and
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becomes a tree so that the birds of the
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air come and nest in its branches. What
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an extraordinary transformation from the
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nearly invisible to the impressive, from
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the insignificant to the providential.
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This is the nature of the kingdom of
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God. It rarely arrives with fanfare or
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spectacle. It doesn't come with the
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grandiose rituals of the golden calf or
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the noisy celebrations of idolatry.
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Instead, it arrives quietly, humbly,
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almost unnoticed. But once planted, its
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capacity for growth and transformation
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is limitless. Jesus also compares the
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kingdom to yeast that a woman hid in
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three measures of flour until it was all
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leavened. Again, we have an image of
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something small and hidden that has a
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transformative effect on everything
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around it. Yeast doesn't force the dough
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to rise. It works from the inside out
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silently but powerfully until the whole
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dough is transformed. My dear brothers
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and sisters, sisters, what a powerful
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message we have here for our lives. In a
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world obsessed with immediate results,
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spectacular successes, and instant
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transformations, God reminds us that his
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most profound work often happens almost
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imperceptibly. How many of us get
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discouraged because we don't see
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dramatic changes in our spiritual lives.
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We pray for transformation and don't see
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smoke from Mount Si or tongues of fire
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at Pentecost. We work to build the
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kingdom of God and don't see multitudes
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being converted or spectacular miracles
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occurring. But Jesus teaches us that the
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kingdom of God works like that mustard
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seed. Every act of kindness is a seed
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planted. Every word of encouragement is
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leaven mixed into the dough of someone's
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life. Every whispered prayer is a small
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light lit in the darkness. And just as
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Moses interceded for the unfaithful
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people, we are called to be patient
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intercessors. Just as God did not
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abandon Israel despite their betrayal,
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we can trust that God will not abandon
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us in our moments of weakness and
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failure. The contrast between the
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readings also teaches us about the
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nature of God's timing versus our time.
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The people of Israel couldn't wait for
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Moses and created their own instant God.
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We too are tempted by immediate
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gratification, by quick fixes, by
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visible results. But the kingdom of God
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operates on a different timeline. Like a
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mustard seed, it can take time to
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germinate, grow, and bear fruit. Like
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yeast, it works silently, but
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inevitably, transforming everything
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around it. Think of the big changes in
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your own lives. They probably didn't
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happen overnight. They were the result
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of small daily choices, small acts of
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faith, small moments of growth that
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accumulated over time resulted in
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significant transformation. Similarly,
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our influence in the world can seem
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small and insignificant, a kind
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conversation with a neighbor, a moment
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of patience with a weward child, a quiet
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donation to someone in need, a
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forgiveness granted when hurt is still
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fresh. These may seem like actions too
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small to change anything. But Jesus
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assures us that in the kingdom of God,
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the small is powerful. The humble is
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exalted. The hidden is revealed. Every
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seed of goodness we plant has it the
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potential to become a great tree where
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others find shelter. Every bit of the
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leavenven of love we mix into the dough
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of human life has the power to transform
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entire communities. The story of the
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golden calf reminds us that we can fail
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spectacularly. We can disappoint
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ourselves and disappoint God. We can
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build idols and worship them with great
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enthusiasm only to discover they are
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empty and powerless. But the parables of
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the mustard seed and the leaven remind
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us that God is always working, always
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planting, always fermenting new life
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amid our failures. Even when we can't
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see it, even when we don't feel it, even
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when we doubt, God's work continues. So
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today, I encourage you, don't despise
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small beginnings. Don't be discouraged
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by the seeming insignificance of your
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efforts. Don't lose hope when change
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seems too slow. Remember that you are
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bearers of the kingdom of God. Each of
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you carries divine seeds that when
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planted in fertile soil can grow beyond
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Each of you is sacred levan capable of
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transforming any situation God places
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you in. And when you fail, because we
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all do, remember God's mercy revealed to
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Moses and the rebellious people.
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Remember that our God is a God of second
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chances, of new beginnings, of
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undeserved grace. May we plant with
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patience, grow with perseverance, and
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trust in the transformative power of the
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one who can bring forth life even from
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the most barren soil of our failures and
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limitations. May the grace of our Lord
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Jesus Christ, the love of God the
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Father, and the communion of the Holy
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Spirit be with you all today and always.
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St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in
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battle. Be our protection against the
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wickedness and snares of the devil. May
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God rebuke him, we humbly pray. And do
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thou, O prince of the heavenly host by
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the power of God, cast into hell Satan
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and all the evil spirits who prowl
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throughout the world seeking the ruin of
