Imagine someone asks what the kingdom of God is like. Trying to put into words and images God’s mind and heart is impossible. When Jesus was teaching His disciples through public preaching, He compared the kingdom of God to many things. He wasn’t trying to describe every detail of the kingdom of God but to provide a glimpse of what it might be like or some of the virtues and characteristics necessary in the kingdom of God.

This weekend we hear about images that involve seeds, growing, patiently waiting and knowing that our part is not the whole process. Jesus is attempting to get us to notice two things: Our role is simply a part of the process of building and sustaining God’s kingdom, and we need to be patient with the process of building up the kingdom of God and not losing hope.

Seeing ourselves as part of building the kingdom of God necessitates believing that we are all connected. Much of our current cultural vibe is one of divisiveness and separation. We live very solitary lives and depend very little on one another if we’re unaware of the underlying realities. How does our food get to the supermarket unless someone plants and tends the fields? How do we have the privilege of driving anywhere we want unless someone is paying the taxes that build the roads? How can we continue to live healthy lives and receive the healthcare that we need without those who care for the sick and dying?

We often don’t think of our connection with others until it’s absent. In the Lord’s prayer, we pray that God’s kingdom might come on earth as it is in heaven. That won’t happen by some magic swipe of God’s wand. It happens as we cooperate with His dream by doing our parts and encouraging others to do theirs.

Have we considered lately what part we play in making God’s kingdom real on earth? Are we exercising our gifts and charisms for His kingdom?

Many of us are not very good with the virtue of patience. For children, parents are the wise figures who can teach what it means to become a truly patient person. Tending to the needs of others and setting aside personal needs for the service of another is simply part of the job of being a parent. Our love for our children ignites in us the privilege of serving them. It becomes difficult when their needs are so deep, but our love motivates us to sacrifice for others. This example has much to teach us about patience in building up the kingdom of God. We are used to immediate gratification and speedy results. We’re not very practiced at waiting and being patient. The image used in the Gospel of planting a seed and waiting for something to grow and watching in mystery and wonder at the process of growth is something we simply have not practiced.

Voluntarily emptying ourselves in service to others makes us wait to respond to our needs. That self-emptying allows us to build virtual patience, allowing ourselves to wait to be satisfied. Our desires are also another way of practicing virtual patience. If we are to build the kingdom of God and become a part of it, we will certainly need that virtue to be strong in each of us.

Father Donald Wester is pastor of All Saints Parish in St. Peters.