Do we trust the silent work of the Holy Spirit?

A pastor at Christ the King Church, San Diego, used to see an elderly woman sit for hours in the back pews of the church praying. She was part of the African American Catholic community that made Christ the King their home parish. One day the pastor approached her to ask, “What do you say to God for such a long time in prayer?” She replied with a knowing smile, “Oh, I just sit here and watch him watching me.” In her wisdom, she understood that God was accomplishing something slowly alongside her as she waited with him. This Sunday’s readings likewise encourage us to wait and watch as the divine initiative unfolds like fruits of good seed that are released from the sower’s hand. 

Sunday’s readings suggest that the kingdom of heaven relies entirely on God’s initiative. The manner in which we respond to this reality reveals how much we trust in this God who sustains our repentance and prayer. The readings reveal that mercy outweighs justice and that even our own prayer begins with the silent work of the Spirit.

In the first reading, from the book of Wisdom, the nature of God is tied to mercy. “You gave your children good ground for hope,” writes the author, “that you would permit repentance for their sins” (Wis 12:19). Today’s psalm continues a similar thought, “Turn toward me, and have pity on me; give your strength to your servant” (Ps 86:16). Repentance is the action of sincere regret or remorse.These passages reveal a subtle trust in the fact that the compassion of divine mercy outweighs the demand of divine justice. The “initiative” to be lenient is already part of God’s mercy, “For your might is the source of justice; your mastery over all things makes you lenient to all” (Wis 12:16).

God sows the seed and mixes the yeast into the flour. All we are asked to do is to take notice and trust that “something” is already happening.

God is merciful even with our feeble attempts at prayer. We come fumbling to make some plea before God or to ask for forgiveness when feeling remorseful. “For we do not know how to pray as we ought,” Paul reminds the Romans, “but the Spirit himself intercedes with inexpressible groanings” (Rom 8:26). Like the elderly woman who watched God watching her in prayer, Paul understood that God would provide what was needed as “the Spirit helps us in our weakness” (Rom 8:26). What is required on our part is to wait and behold.

This section of Matthew’s Gospel is filled with parables of the kingdom, many drawn from agriculture. In last Sunday’s Gospel reading, the parable focused on the different types of ground that received the seed of the Word of God, and the resilience needed to produce fruitful harvest. In the parables of this Sunday’s Gospel reading, the kingdom of heaven is likened to a “man who sowed good seed” or “mustard seed that a person took and sowed” or “yeast that a woman took and mixed with wheat flour.” In all three examples, God’s initiative is something small that becomes substantial, like a woman kneading yeast into dough to make good bread. Every small act carries within it the potential for a major transformation (see Mt 13:26).

The wisdom of the woman who sat in church to “watch God watching her” hearkens back to the wisdom of Jesus’ agricultural parables. Both illustrate that the initiative is God’s as the kingdom unfolds within our lives. We do not need to guess at how this works out. We can trust divine mercy when we repent and divine generosity or when we bring our needs in prayer. God sows the seed and mixes the yeast into the flour. All we are asked to do is to take notice and trust that “something” is already happening.