朋友们，今天的福音把天国比作一粒芥子。天主想让好事从小处开始并慢慢发展，这似乎是精神生活的原则。

 

我们很想说，“您是天主。您来着手做吧。”但为什么天主有祂的一套做法呢？我们可以尝试作出一些解释。我们在《圣经》中经常看到人类的合作令天主心花怒放。祂想让我们凭借自由、才智、创造力来参与祂的事业。所以，祂播下种子，并希望我们来栽培。

 

“方济各，重建我的教堂。”天主本来就有能力重建祂的教堂，但祂想方济各参与其中。天主本来可以通过注入大量的恩典来复兴基督教的精神生命力，但祂启示安东尼抛弃一切，独自去沙漠过活。

 

还有一点，当事情从小处开始，就能掩人耳目，从而获取力量、份量和严肃性。而参与者则能得到考验和磨炼。

 

Friends, today's Gospel compares the Kingdom of heaven to a mustard seed. It seems to be a law of the spiritual life that God wants good things to start small and grow over time.

 

We're tempted to say, "You're God. Just get on with it. Do it." But why would God work the way he does? We might attempt a few explanations. It is a commonplace of the Bible that God rejoices in our cooperation. He wants us to involve ourselves—through freedom, intelligence, creativity—in what he is doing. And so he plants seeds, and he wants us to cultivate them.

 

"Francis, rebuild my Church." Heck, God could have rebuilt his Church, but he wanted Francis to get involved. God could have renewed the spiritual life of Christianity through a great infusion of grace, but he inspired Anthony to leave everything behind and go live alone in the desert.

 

There's something else. When things start small, they can fly under the radar for a time, while they gain strength and heft and seriousness. And those involved can be tested and tried.