Monday of Week 17 in Ordinary Time
Jer 13:1-11
Mt 13:31-35
“It is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the biggest shrub of all…”
When Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to a mustard seed and to yeast, He reminds us that God often works through the smallest of beginnings. We look for the extraordinary. God begins with the ordinary. A quiet prompting. A simple act of faith. A moment that almost passes unnoticed.
Two years ago, I was attending a tax law class taught by my current work supervisor, who is also a professor at the university. He asked the class a question. The room fell silent. I felt prompted to answer, although I was not even sure I was right. He asked me to repeat my answer to the class and said it was an interesting perspective. At the time, it seemed like a very small moment.
Looking back, that was the mustard seed. That one answer led to the opportunity to work with him on another project. Today, by God’s grace, I am on secondment under his supervision. It is only now that I can see how God had already begun preparing the path long before I recognised it.
Every day, I am reminded how much I have to learn. My supervisor has taught tax law for more than thirty-five years, worked as a practitioner for over twenty years, served as a judge, and played an integral role in shaping Singapore’s tax legislation. Beside him, I feel very small.
But perhaps that is exactly the point of today’s Gospel. God does not ask me to begin with greatness. He asks me to begin with faithfulness. The seed is small. The yeast is hidden. God is the one who gives the growth.
The Gospel also reminds me that the growth is never for myself alone. The mustard seed becomes a tree where the birds find shelter. The yeast leavens the whole batch of dough and becomes bread that nourishes others.
That challenges me to ask what I will do with the opportunities God has given me. This secondment is not simply about me becoming a better lawyer. It is about learning so that one day I can teach, mentor, and serve others better. It is about using whatever knowledge and experience God entrusts to me to build others up, just as others have invested in me.
I thank God for planting that tiny seed two years ago. My prayer now is not simply that it continues to grow, but that, in time, it may bear fruit for others.
(Today’s OXYGEN by Stacey Fernandez)
Prayer: Lord, help me never to overlook the small ways You are working in my life. Give me the humility to keep saying ‘yes’ to You and use what You have given me for the good of others. Amen.
Thanksgiving: Lord, thank You for guiding my path long before I could see where it was leading. Thank You for every opportunity to learn, grow, and serve.
OXYGEN 
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