Episode Transcript
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SPEAKER_00 (00:11):
Hello family,
welcome to Journeys of Faith
Super Saints Podcast at BrotherJoseph Ryaldenhoven here at your
service.
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blog article from tiny seed totowering shelter understanding
Jesus Parable.
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At the very heart of Christianfaith lies a call to believe
even when we cannot see, totrust even when the path ahead
is clouded in uncertainty.
For Catholic Christians thiscall echoes powerfully in Jesus
parable of the mustard seed, astory as simple as it is
profound, and a touchstone foranyone who has wrestled with
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doubts or long for a faith thatcould move mountains.
Here at Journeys of Faith, underthe loving guidance of the
cloistered Augustinian nuns inMontefalco, we are no strangers
to the humble beginnings fromwhich God can work wonders.
Christ's teaching that a faithof a mustard seed can grow into
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something magnificent has longinspired the faithful and
confounded skeptics.
Why did our Lord choose such anunremarkable seed?
What does this parable mean forus as children of the church,
especially within the richtradition handed down through
the magisterium in this article?
We will explore the deepermeaning behind Jesus' words,
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examine the church'stime-honored interpretation, and
reflect on how the smallest actsof belief rooted in the
sacraments and devotion can bearfruit that shelters and
transforms entire communities.
Whether you are a lifelongpilgrim, a seeker just beginning
your journey, or someone longingto deepen your spiritual roots,
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we invite you to draw near andmeditate with us on the
extraordinary power hidden infaith's tiniest beginnings.
Let us journey together, oneheart, one mind, one spirit, to
better understand how thekingdom of God takes root in our
souls, starting with somethingeven smaller than a mustard
seed.
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Take the next step in yourjourney of faith.
If you've been moved by theprofound lesson of the mustard
seed, how the smallest act offaith can blossom into something
grand, now is the perfect momentto nurture that seed within your
own heart at journeys of uhfaith.
Our mission is uh to walk uhbeside you on this sacred path,
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offering encouragement,resources, and wisdom rooted in
the unwavering tradition of theCatholic Church.
And here's how you can let yourfaith grow with us.
Explore Catholic media, books,videos, and digital content on
Eucharistic miracles, marriageapparitions, and saintly lives.
Join virtual pilgrimages,experience holy sites from home,
(03:10):
connect with our community,events, updates, and shared
prayer intentions, a shop forsacred gifts, devotional items
from one of Italy's largestCatholic gift shops, journey
with us.
Let your faith of a mustard seedbecome a towering witness to
God's love, one heart, one mind,one spirit with one vision.
To truly appreciate the weightof Jesus' words in the parable
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of the mustard seed, it is vitalto grasp what mustard seeds
meant to his first listeners inPalestine, in the rugged hills
and fertile valleys of ancientJudea.
Um mustard was a was a familiarcrop, its tiny round seeds, a
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daily sight in the marketplacesand home gardens.
Despite its uh minuscule size,no larger than a grain of sand,
the mustard seed was renownedfor how once planted, it shot up
with unexpected speed and vigor.
Farmers in first centuryPalestine saw firsthand how a
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mustard plant could grow fromnearly invisible beginnings into
one of the largest of gardenshrubs, sometimes ten feet tall
or more, its branches stretchingwide and strong.
This transformation was nothingshort of astonishing, something
seemingly insignificant andhumble becoming substantial
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enough to shelter birds andprovide shade beneath the
burning Middle Eastern sun.
For Jesus' audience, this imagewas both comforting and
arresting.
The mustard seed symbolizedpossibility where the world saw
limitation.
It carried echoes of the OldTestament where growth and
flourishing often signifiedGod's favor and the mystery of
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his providence.
When Jesus spoke of faith thesize of a mustard seed, he was
not just referencing a plant,but tapping into a rich
agricultural and spiritualtapestry and gently inviting his
hearers to trust that whatappears small in human eyes can
bear astonishing,heaven-reaching fruit when
entrusted to God.
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Reading the parable within thegospel narrative arc.
When our Lord speaks of themustard seed in Matthew 13, 31
to 32, he embeds the lessonwithin a tapestry of parables, a
method that both reveals andconceals the mysteries of the
kingdom.
Understanding the faith of amustard seed requires us to
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consider not merely the imageitself, but the entire gospel
thread in which it is woven.
The disciples hear Jesus speakof seeds and leaven, fields and
harvest, all glimpses into howGod's grace operates in
seemingly hidden, exponentialways.
Within the broader narrative,this tiny seed becomes a focal
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point of contrast.
The humble beginnings of theseed, much like the nascent
church itself, stand side byside with the world's
expectations of grandeur.
Jesus does not promise hisfollowers a kingdom built on
visible strength or politicaltriumph.
He invites them to radical trustin the smallest beginnings.
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The soil that receives the seedis analogous to the soul that,
even in weakness or fear, daresto give God room to work.
Throughout the gospels, Christ'smiracles and teachings often
return to this motif.
Faith that seems insignificant,overshadowed by doubt or
hardship, is precisely what Godcan magnify for his glory.
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The ark from mustard seed totowering shelter mirrors the
paschal journey.
Through smallness and surrender,the fullness of the kingdom is
revealed.
Kingdom imagery, from smallbeginnings to cosmic reach.
In the heart of Jesus' teachingon the faith of a mustard seed
lies an extraordinary vision,the kingdom of God taking root
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in the humblest of places andexpanding far beyond what our
minds can fathom.
The Lord draws his listeners'attention to the tiniest of
seeds, a mustard seed so minute.
The fathers of the church offerrich interpretations that
illuminate the profound depthshidden in Christ's words.
Saint Augustine of Hippo drawsour attention to the humility
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and seeming insignificance ofthe mustard seed.
For Augustine, the mustard seedrepresents the beginnings of
faith sown in the human heart,small, delicate, vulnerable, yet
by God's grace, destined tomature into deep-rooted
conviction and charity,emphasizes the dynamism inherent
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in even the smallest faith.
If you have faith as a grain ofmustard seed, it isn't the
smallness that matters, but itsvitality, it pushes through the
soil and grows beyondexpectation.
Saint Cyril of Alexandriareflects on how the church
herself is prefigured in theparable.
From the tiny seed of Christ'sministry and the faith of the
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first apostles, an immenseshelter now spreads, offering
refuge, strength, and hope topeople of all nations.
What unites these patristicvoices is the insistence that in
the Christian life nothing iswasted, no gesture of faith, no
simple prayer, no smallest actof trust.
The mustard seed and the virtueof faith, according to Saint
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Thomas Aquinas.
Saint Thomas Aquinas teachesthat faith is both a theological
virtue infused by God and aliving relationship with Christ.
The mustard seed, thoughseemingly insignificant, holds
the potential for miraculousgrowth.
So too does faith.
It may begin as a faint spark,but through the sacraments,
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prayer, and the guidance of thechurch, it can grow to provide
shelter, comfort, and strengthnot only for ourselves, but for
those around us.
Faith is perfected by love, hewrites, meaning that our belief
is the starting point for a lifetransformed by charity and
grace.
Even the tiniest seed of faithcontains within it the kingdom
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of God waiting to blossom in theheart, open to his truth.
Eucharistic echoes hiddengreatness under humble
appearances.
Nowhere is the mustard seedmystery more wondrously revealed
than in the Holy Eucharist.
Like the smallest of seeds, thesacred host appears fragile and
unnoticed, a thin white wafer,yet through the words of
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consecration, the King of Kingshides his majesty beneath simple
bread.
To the eyes of the world thereis nothing but bread, but to the
eyes of faith a reality ofinfinite grandeur is unveiled.
This is the faith of a mustardseed, which trusts not in
appearances but in the promiseof Christ.
Mary Dimensions, our lady as thefertile soil of the kingdom.
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No soil is more receptive thanthe humble heart of the Blessed
Virgin Mary.
Her fiat at the Annunciationoffers us a living icon of what
it means to become fertile earthfor God's work.
Mary conceived in faith beforeshe conceived in the flesh.
Saint Augustine.
In contemplating Mary as thefertile soil, Catholics are
drawn to imitate her docility,her persistence in prayer, and
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her constancy in pondering God'sword.
Saints who live mustard seedfaith against all odds.
Saint Therese of Lisieux, thelittle flower embodied mustard
seed faith in her little way ofchildlike trust and small
sacrifices.
Saint Maximilian Colby offeredhis life in Auschwitz, a small
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act that flowered intomartyrdom.
Saint Josephine Baquita rosefrom slavery to sanctity through
forgiveness and prayer.
Each shows that the faith of amustard seed is a summons to
entrust every trial into thehands of the divine gardener.
Spiritual growth and silence,the seed beneath the soil.
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Much of spiritual growth unfoldsin silence like the seed's quiet
work beneath the soil, in thehidden moments, prayer before
the blessed sacrament, silentoffering of daily trials, faith
deepens.
God sees in secret, and it isthere that faith finds its
strength.
Birds of the air, hospitalityand mission in Catholic social
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teaching.
The mustard tree's branchesstretch forth to embrace the
birds, just as every Catholic iscalled to welcome the
marginalized.
Hospitality is a gospel mandate.
Whatever you did for one ofthese least brothers of mine,
you did for me.
Matthew 25 40.
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Conclusion Embracing the faithof a mustard seed.
The parable of the mustard seedis an invitation from our Lord
to trust in the transformingpower of even the smallest act
of faith.
At Journeys of Faith, we arecommitted to nurturing this seed
within every soul we encounter.
Let us pray for the grace toecho Mary's yes with confidence,
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entrust our smallness to Christ,and remain deeply loyal to the
teachings of the church.
Together, let us grow.
One heart, one mind, one spirit,with one vision.
FAQs about the faith of amustard seed.
What is the parable of themustard seed?
A short teaching of Jesusshowing how the kingdom of God
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starts small yet growsextraordinarily large.
And where is it found in theBible?
Matthew 13, 31 to 32, Mark 4, 30to 32, Luke 13, 18 to 19.
What does the tiny seedrepresent?
The initial gift of faith, thebeginnings of the church, and
every humble yes to God.
Why did Jesus choose a mustardseed?
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It is one of the smallest seeds,yet produces one of the largest
garden plants, perfectlyillustrating God's power in our
littleness.
How is faith like a mustardseed, even the smallest, sincere
faith, when given to God, cantransform hearts, families, and
the world?
What is the main message?
Do not be discouraged by smallbeginnings.
With God, the tiniest faith,nourished by the sacraments and
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live with perseverance, willbear abundant, eternal fruit,
ready to let your mustard seedfaith grow.
Explore our books, DVDs, virtualpilgrimages, and Catholic gifts
today at Journeys of Faith.
One heart, one mind, one spiritwith one vision.
Thank you, family, for listeningto Super Saints Podcast.
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