Fr Paul Gooley returns today and reads from the Gospel of Luke (13: 18-21) in which Jesus compares the Kingdom of God to a tiny mustard seed that grows into a tree and to the role of yeast in making bread.Today, Fr Paul says, we hear that before Jesus leaves Galilee and begins his journey to Jerusalem Luke gives us these two parables about growth. They could well have been told by Jesus when the disciples were facing discouragement: how could their little band of nobodies be the visible sign of the Kingdom of God? ‘Just give it time’, says Jesus, and illustrates this using the idea of a man planting a seed, then of a woman raising bread with yeast. Fr Paul asks us to note that Luke uses exaggeration to get the point across – a mustard seed grows into a fairly decent bush, but it’s not what we would call a tree! However, the introduction of the image of a tree enables Luke to weave in a little hidden meaning: the birds nestling in the branches of the tree represent all the Gentile nations.For our reflection, Fr Paul invites to consider, ‘What do I need to give time to today?’ Or to ask ourselves, ‘How can I encourage others like Jesus did in today’s Gospel?’