What Does "Mighty Mouse" Teach Us

Homily for Tuesday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time

The images in today’s Gospel are so small that they could easily be overlooked: a mustard seed and a bit of yeast. Neither seems very impressive. Yet Jesus tells us that the Kingdom of God is found precisely in such humble beginnings. The tiny seed becomes a tree large enough for birds to find shelter. The hidden yeast quietly transforms the entire batch of dough.

The word “small” gets in the way we understand this reading. When we use the word in English, the connotation is often small things or ideas are not as important as big things or ideas. When I first read the passage, I though back to my childhood Saturday mornings and cartoons that were the normal fare for Saturday morning. I remember “Might Mouse,” small rodent who could pack a punch.

Now think of yourselves as “Might Mouse.” God often looks to us to be the mighty mice of the kingdom. We may look for dramatic signs or great accomplishments; however, that is not how God works. As the Preface for martyrs often reminds us, God uses the weak and small to show the world God’s power and might. There is nothing the small or weak about God’s grace. God accomplishes great things through the mighty mice of the world. Think of David, the Shepherd who faced Goliath. Think of Moses, the man with a speech impediment, who spoke for God. Think of St. Joseph, a simple carpenter from Nazareth, who was chosen by God to protect the infant Jesus and his mother. Even St. Francis is known as the “poverello” which literally means the little poor man. Then think of yourselves who espouse acts of neighborly kindness. Small acts can be mighty.

Saint Paul reminds us today that Christ's love is the model for every human relationship. Such love is not usually expressed in grand gestures. It grows through countless small acts of self-giving, just as the Kingdom grows from a tiny seed and yeast works silently within the dough.

Today, let us trust the hidden power of God's grace. Even when our efforts seem small, God is at work. The seed is growing. The yeast is rising. The Kingdom is already in our midst.