Patrick Comerford
We are continuing in Ordinary Time in the Church Calendar, and the week began with the Last Sunday after Trinity (25 October 2026).
Before the day begins, before having breakfast, I am taking some quiet time early this morning to give thanks, and for reflection, prayer and reading in these ways:
1, today’s Gospel reading;
2, a short reflection;
3, a prayer from the USPG prayer diary;
4, the Collects and Post-Communion prayer of the day.
Luke 13: 18-21 (NRSVA):
[Jesus said:] 18 He said therefore, ‘What is the kingdom of God like? And to what should I compare it? 19 It is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in the garden; it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.’
20 And again he said, ‘To what should I compare the kingdom of God? 21 It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.’
Sunset behind the Fortezza at the Sunset Restaurant (Ηλιοβασιλέματα) in Rethymnon in Crete (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2025)
Today’s Reflections:
Have you ever found yourself lost for words when it comes to describing a beautiful place you have visited?
If you have ever been to the Bay of Naples or Sorrento, how would you describe what you have seen to someone who has never travelled very far beyond where they live?
You might try comparing the first glimpse of Vesuvius with looking at Carrigtwohill, Croagh Patrick or the Great Sugarloaf … but that hardly describes the experience of climbing the rocky path, looking into the caldera, or the experience of the sulphuric smell.
You might want to compare the Bay of Naples with the vista in Dingle Bay or across Dublin Bay from the Dart passing through Killiney … but does that reflect the majestic scope of any one of these views?
You might want to compare the church domes of Venice or the Greek islands with the great copper dome in Rathmines, the dome of Saint Paul’s Cathedral or the dome on the Church of Christ the Cornerstone in Milton Keynes … but that goes nowhere near describing the intricate artwork on those Italian domes or the impact on the Greek skyline.
You might compare the inside of the duomo in Florence with the inside of your favourite parish church … but you know you are getting nowhere near what you want to say.
And as for Capri … what other island conveys the romantic allure of Capri?
Comparisons never match the beauty of any of the places that offer us a snatch or glimpse of heaven.
And yet, we know that the photographs on our phones, no matter how good they seem to be when we are taking them, never do justice to the places we have been when we get back home.
We risk becoming bores either by trying to use inadequate words or inadequate images to describe experiences that we can never truly share with people unless they go there, unless they have been there too.
I suppose that helps to a degree to understand why Jesus keeps on trying to grasp at images that might help the Disciples and help us to understand what the Kingdom of God is like.
Christ tries to offer us a taste of the kingdom in this reading, as he continues to speak in parables. The two parables in this reading – the Parable of the Mustard Seed and the Parable of the Yeast - are really similes that must have seemed incredible on the day because of Christ’s use of exaggeration and hyperbole.
A mustard seed is very small, but it grows into a large shrub, rather than a tree. Birds do not nest in it.
Bread made with three measures of flour would feed 100 people, so once again we have hyperbole. The Kingdom of God will grow from small beginnings to something beyond our measure or imagination.
We have a romantic imagination that confuses gardens with Paradise, and Paradise with the Kingdom of Heaven. But perhaps that is a good starting point, because I have a number of places where I find myself saying constantly: ‘This is a little snatch of heaven.’ They include:
• the road from Cappoquin out to my grandmother’s farm in West Waterford.
• the train journey from outside Ferns to Wexford, along the banks of the River Slaney.
• the view from Stowe Pool across to Lichfield Cathedral at sunset.
• walking along Cross in Hand Lane on the north fringe of Lichfield.
• the Backs in Cambridge.
• sunset at the Fortezza in Rethymnon on the Greek island of Crete.
• the sights and sounds on some of the many beaches I like to walk on in Ireland and in Greece.
I could go on. The Kingdom of Heaven must be so like so many of these places where I find myself constantly praising God and thanking God for creation.
But … but it’s not just that. And I start thinking that Christ does more than just paint a scene when he describes the kingdom of heaven.
The Kingdom Season begins in the Church Calendar next week. Later today, you might challenge yourself to think of three places, three gifts in God’s creation, that offer glimpses of the Kingdom of Heaven, and to think of three actions that symbolise Christ’s invitation into the Kingdom of Heaven.
Give thanks for these small seeds or fistfuls of yeast, and share them with someone you love and cherish.
Today’s Prayers (Tuesday 27 October 2026):
The theme this week (25 to 31 October) in Pray with the World Church, the prayer diary of the Anglican mission agency USPG (United Society Partners in the Gospel), is ‘Update from Myanmar’ (pp 50-51). This theme was introduced on Sunday with a programme update from the Revd Davidson Solanki, Senior Regional Manager for Asia and the Middle East, USPG.
The USPG Prayer Diary today (Tuesday 27 October 2026) invites us to pray:
Lord, strengthen the Church in Myanmar as it rebuilds lives and communities after the earthquake. May faith, leadership, and local action bring hope and lasting change.
The Collect of the Day:
Blessed Lord,
who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:
help us so to hear them,
to read, mark, learn and inwardly digest them
that, through patience, and the comfort of your holy word,
we may embrace and for ever hold fast
the hope of everlasting life,
which you have given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
The Post Communion Prayer:
God of all grace,
your Son Jesus Christ fed the hungry
with the bread of his life
and the word of his kingdom:
renew your people with your heavenly grace,
and in all our weakness
sustain us by your true and living bread;
who is alive and reigns, now and for ever.
Additional Collect:
Merciful God,
teach us to be faithful in change and uncertainty,
that trusting in your word
and obeying your will
we may enter the unfailing joy of Jesus Christ our Lord.
The Collect on the Eve of Saint Simon and Saint Jude:
Almighty God,
who built your Church upon the foundation
of the apostles and prophets,
with Jesus Christ himself as the chief cornerstone:
so join us together in unity of spirit by their doctrine,
that we may be made a holy temple acceptable to you;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Yesterday’s Reflections
Continued Tomorrow:
Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. http://nrsvbibles.org
