Ezekiel 17:22-24
In the First Reading, the prophet Ezekiel describes how, through the power of God, the delicate twig of God’s People grows into the mightiest of trees so that even the “birds of heaven” can make their nests within it. God’s power has no equal and we only need humbly to surrender to it for it to be effective in the most astonishing of ways within us.
Mark 4:26-34
In the Gospel Reading, Jesus tells two parables about the growth of the Kingdom of God. Each story has a different purpose. The first parable emphasizes the seed’s own growth. The farmer can neither give the seed the power to grow nor make its gradual growth happen. The second parable emphasizes the astonishing fruitful character of a seed.
