The kingdom of God is among us, but is not easy to see. Yet look again with eyes of faith and you will see it everywhere. As seed sprouts from the ground, so will grace grow in us when we turn to the Lord with a contrite heart.

Explaining this mysterious kingdom to us today, Jesus reminds us how seed sown on the ground takes root and sprouts and grows in its own mysterious way. Its power to grow and produce the food that feeds us is amazing. Even while we sleep that seed is growing. In a second example Jesus talks about the mustard seed and how small it is and yet how large a tree it becomes. We need not be worried if God’s ways seem to be unimpressive. The power that the word of God holds is beyond our reckoning.

Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the catholic faith. Which faith except every one do keep whole and undefiled; without doubt he shall perish everlastingly. And the catholic faith is this: That we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity; Neither confounding the Persons; nor dividing the Essence. For there is one Person of the Father; another of the Son; and another of the Holy Ghost. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, is all one; the Glory equal, the Majesty coeternal. Such as the Father is; such is the Son; and such is the Holy Ghost. The Father uncreated; the Son uncreated; and the Holy Ghost uncreated. The Father unlimited; the Son unlimited; and the Holy Ghost unlimited. The Father eternal; the Son eternal; and the Holy Ghost eternal. And yet they are not three eternals; but one eternal. As also there are not three uncreated; nor three infinites, but one uncreated; and one infinite. So likewise the Father is Almighty; the Son Almighty; and the Holy Ghost Almighty. And yet they are not three Almighties; but one Almighty. So the Father is God; the Son is God; and the Holy Ghost is God. And yet they are not three Gods; but one God. So likewise the Father is Lord; the Son Lord; and the Holy Ghost Lord. And yet not three Lords; but one Lord. For like as we are compelled by the Christian verity; to acknowledge every Person by himself to be God and Lord; So are we forbidden by the catholic religion; to say, There are three Gods, or three Lords. The Father is made of none; neither created, nor begotten. The Son is of the Father alone; not made, nor created; but begotten. The Holy Ghost is of the Father and of the Son; neither made, nor created, nor begotten; but proceeding. So there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons; one Holy Ghost, not three Holy Ghosts. And in this Trinity none is before, or after another; none is greater, or less than another. But the whole three Persons are coeternal, and coequal. So that in all things, as aforesaid; the Unity in Trinity, and the Trinity in Unity, is to be worshipped. He therefore that will be saved, let him thus think of the Trinity.
Furthermore, it is necessary to everlasting salvation; that he also believe faithfully the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. For the right Faith is, that we believe and confess; that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and Man; God, of the Substance [Essence] of the Father; begotten before the worlds; and Man, of the Substance [Essence] of his Mother, born in the world. Perfect God; and perfect Man, of a reasonable soul and human flesh subsisting. Equal to the Father, as touching his Godhead; and inferior to the Father as touching his Manhood. Who although he is God and Man; yet he is not two, but one Christ. One; not by conversion of the Godhead into flesh; but by assumption of the Manhood into God. One altogether; not by confusion of Substance [Essence]; but by unity of Person. For as the reasonable soul and flesh is one man; so God and Man is one Christ; Who suffered for our salvation; descended into hell; rose again the third day from the dead. He ascended into heaven, he sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty, from whence he will come to judge the living and the dead. At whose coming all men will rise again with their bodies; And shall give account for their own works. And they that have done good shall go into life everlasting; and they that have done evil, into everlasting fire. This is the catholic faith; which except a man believe truly and firmly, he cannot be saved.

In today’s Gospel we are given the challenge to proclaim our faith.  “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.”  We can proclaim the Gospel because we have been given the Spirit by Jesus Christ. 
As we prepare to celebrate the great solemnity of Pentecost, we begin with the challenge of the Ascension:  Jesus goes up to heaven.  Jesus is now at the right hand of God.  Jesus will send us the Spirit in a special way on Pentecost.  As people who believe, we are challenged to proclaim our faith in our words, in our actions and in our thoughts.

Would you join us in This novena (nine days) of prayer?

By Mother Miriam CSM (Community of St Mary)

I have heard many stories of the good old days, somewhere between the Depression Era and the revolutionary 1960s, when our Sisters were invited to many parishes between the feasts of the Ascension and Pentecost to speak about the religious life and lead a novena of prayer with the congregation. They would ask God for increase and sanctification of those called to the monastic life.

The Church has a sense of a variety of personal charisms that includes the monastic life as being a gift of God to balance the active ministry of the laity and the pastoral and liturgical leading of the clergy. Not everyone is called to the priesthood, and not everyone is called to lay ministry in our parishes. Without a fulcrum of monastic prayer in the midst of the Church, the seesaw between works and faith seems to be more of a guilty tug of war between proving our love for God through our active service of his people or as, the Epistle of James rightly challenges us, letting our service in the Church show our faith.
One of the ways of discerning the health of the Church is the balance of human vocation between clerical, monastic, and lay callings. It is misleading to see the three callings as a ranked hierarchy. However, seeing them as a mysterious trinitarian gift encompassing all human action lends depth and richness in understanding humanity made in the image of God.
Today only a handful of Anglican communities have more than a single-digit number of life professed members. I hear so often, when I visit parishes, “I didn’t know we had religious orders in the (church of England) .” It is a sad reality of the poverty of our Church and demonstrates the need to ask God to raise up more vocations, even as we monastics work to share the message of our continual sacrifice of prayer and worship on behalf of the whole Church.

The Gospel of Saint John today speaks of God’s love for us.  In the same way that the Father loves Jesus, His Son, so also Jesus loves us in the very same way!  Now I think that is incredible.  We often don’t think of God’s love for us as in any way being the same love that the Divine Persons have among themselves.  Somehow we often see ourselves as less.  The whole Christian tradition tells us, however, that Jesus became man,  became human, so that we might share in His Divinity.   Even when we sin, that life is still within us.  We are created to share in the Divinity of Jesus.

Today we are invited to remain in Christ as branches in a vine.  We do this by recognizing that God is at work in everyone and by striving to keep His commands and to do what is pleasing to God.  Always the Christian life sounds easy and yet is a challenge for us all.