From: Matthew 13:31-35
The Mustard Seed; The Leaven
[33] He told them another parable. “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a leaven which
a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till it was all leavened.”
[34] All this Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed He said nothing to
them without a parable. [35] This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet:
“I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter what has been hidden since the
foundation of the world.”
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Commentary:
31-32. Here, the man is Jesus Christ and the field, the world. The grain of mus-
tard seed is the preaching of the Gospel and the Church, which from very small
beginnings will spread throughout the world.
The parable clearly refers to the universal scope and spread of the Kingdom of
God: the Church, which embraces all mankind of every kind and condition, in
every latitude and in all ages, is forever developing in spite of obstacles, thanks
to God’s promise and aid.
33. This comparison is taken from everyday experience: just as leaven gradually
ferments all the dough, so the Church spreads to convert all nations.
The leaven is also a symbol of the individual Christian. Living in the middle of the
world and retaining his Christian quality, he wins souls for Christ by his word and
example: “Our calling to be children of God, in the midst of the world, requires us
not only to seek our own personal holiness, but also to go out onto all the ways
of the earth, to convert them into roadways that will carry souls over all obstacles
and lead them to the Lord. As we take part in all temporal activities as ordinary
citizens, we are to become leaven acting on the mass” (St. J. Escriva, “Christ Is
Passing By”, 120).
34-35. Revelation, God’s plans, are hidden (cf. Matthew 11:25) from those who
are disposed to accept them. The Evangelist wishes to emphasize the need for
simplicity and for docility to the Gospel. By recalling Psalm 78:2, he tells us
once more, under divine inspiration, that the Old Testament prophecies find their
fulfillment in our Lord’s preaching.
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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.
First reading | Jeremiah 13:1-11 © |
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Canticle | Deuteronomy 32:18-21 © |
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Gospel Acclamation | cf.2Th2:14 |
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Or | James1:18 |
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Gospel | Matthew 13:31-35 © |
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Thank you again for posting these readings and commentaries. They are a great comfort, inspiration and admonition to me.
Thanks and God Bless!