Carmelite homily for Friday, January 31, 2020 – Lectionary 321 (Mark 4:26-34)
In today’s Gospel Jesus talks about seed. It’s planted, it grows, it comes to harvest; the farmer doesn’t know how. Or a mustard seed is planted and it grows so tall birds nest in its branches. It happens naturally, automatically. I think that’s the invitation of this Gospel today. Saint John of the Cross writes, “To reach union with the wisdom of God one must advance by unknowing rather than by knowing.” It may sound cryptic what he’s saying here, but I think it’s just to let life be natural – is what the invitation of today’s Gospel is, and the invitation of Saint John of the Cross.