“'The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a person took and sowed in a field. It is the smallest of all the seeds, yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants. It becomes a large bush, and the ‘birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches.’” -Matthew 13:31-32
"'Truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.'” -Matthew 17:20
Proverbs 19:17 Whoever cares for the poor lends to the LORD, who will pay back the sum in full.
Matthew 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Mark 10:21 Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him, “You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, and give to [the] poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”
James 2:14-17 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,” but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it? So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
The Mustard Seed partakes in the Catholic Worker movement, which forms the values and beliefs the Mustard Seed exemplifies on a daily basis: "The aim of the Catholic Worker movement is to live in accordance with the justice and charity of Jesus Christ. Our sources are the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures as handed down in the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, with our inspiration coming from the lives of the saints, "men and women outstanding in holiness, living witnesses to Your unchanging love." - The Catholic Worker May 2019, 86th Anniversary Issue
2 Corinthians 9:6-8 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
Matthew 7:1-2 Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.
As made evident through Biblical texts, charity is an action not exclusively fulfilling to those who receive from it; the charitable one will receive too, whether that be through future fortune or joy found in charitable acts. People are ultimately judged on how they treat others, and treating others well will ultimately lead to one receiving the same treatment. Therefore, one must treat others how they would want to be treated if they were in the same position. If there comes a time when a charitable person has become poor, they are likely to receive help from those they have previously given to. The charitable work of the Mustard Seed portrays this philosophy in action.
"Justice is what love looks like in public."
-Cornel West
Saint Thomas Aquinas ponders deeply on the philosophy and theology of justice, dedicating 66 questions to it in the Summa Theologiae. Aquinas believes justice to be a virtue pertaining to how one acts towards others. To be just is to give what others are due in the name of equality. Justice on the scale of the individual may influence a whole community, and a whole community that is just may provide for the individual. Piety may also play a large role in the spread of justice through the meekness it instills; seeing God as the ultimate authority puts into perspective the need for equality in humanity despite one's own authority. In the Mustard Seed, justice as a virtue of giving unto others is exacted in conjunction with piety.
The Artwork in the Mustard Seed
The artwork of Fritz Eichenberg decorates the walls of the Mustard Seed. Fritz Eichenberg was a friend of Dorothy Day, the founder of The Catholic Worker movement, and his artwork for the Catholic Worker depicts central points of emphasis of the Catholic Worker and, sequentially, the Mustard Seed.
Eichenberg's wood engraving "[Saint Francis]" depicts St. Francis of Assisi receiving the Stigmata (the wounds of Christ). St. Francis is a crucial exemplifier of dedicating one's life to the service of the poor.
Mark 10:21 “You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, and give to [the] poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”
Another Eichenberg engraving, "[Christ of the Breadlines]," conveys the importance of seeing Christ's face in every person.
Matthew 25:45 Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.
The Eichenberg Illustration, "[The Lord's Supper]," signifies Jesus' habit of sitting and dining with the culturally ostracized, frequently facilitated by the Mustard Seed.
Mark 2:17 Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.
The Biblical Mustard Seed, What Does it Mean?
There are two parables in the Gospels in which Jesus uses the image of a mustard seed, a tiny, common seed which grows into an enormous plant.
Matthew 13:31-32:
“He put before them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.’”
Humble and unassuming at first, the mustard seed grows into the greatest of plants. Here, Christ compares this to the Kingdom of Heaven, the Kingdom we are tasked to bring about on Earth. The Kingdom begins humbly. Thus, in building it, we must begin humbly. We know from these words, and must always remember, that the Kingdom will be great, but we must take it as it is now, and sow it. No act of charity or work of mercy is below us, no matter how small, insignificant, or unbefitting it may seem.
Matthew 17:20:
“‘Truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.’”
Here, Christ again refers to the small size of the mustard seed, comparing it this time to our faith. The world, with every individual, has many problems, and we may often feel insignificant in the face of them. Like moving a mountain, we are even unable to comprehend what solving them would look like. Without God, it surely is an impossible task. But God does not charge us with tasks so that we may complete them alone, by our own power. On the contrary, it is in our acceptance of our limitations, of our dependence on God, that these incomprehensible tasks become possible. With the smallest amount of faith, we can do more than we would have otherwise been able to even understand.
History of St Ignatius and Relation to the Catholic Worker Movement
St Ignatius of Loyola
The founder of the Jesuit order, St. Ignatius of Loyola, was injured during his military service by a cannonball. With Monks in the abbey on Montserrat, St Ignatius hung up his sword after seeing the Virgin of the Montserrat statue. And while rehabbing from surgery he was called to a more spiritual and religious life having been moved by the De Vita Christi by Ludolph of Saxony. He pursued meditation, specifically Simple contemplation which led him to conceive and write the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola.
The Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola
In the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola, St Ignatius writes about the power of meditations, contemplations, and prayers directed by Christianity. They were written to help people find God’s place and purpose in their life. Designed to be carried out over the course of twenty-eight to thirty days, they are divided into four separate weeks all directed towards different aspects of one's relationship with God.
Learn more about Ignatian Spirituality at https://www.ignatianspirituality.com/
Relation to Catholic Worker Movement
The Jesuit order and the values established by St Ignatius of Loyola are not only similar to the values of the Catholic Worker, but also to the ones of the Mustard seed. Through missions, education, and charitable works these common areas of devotion and love to the Catholic community are displayed.
Cura Personalis
A key feature of service in the Ignatian-Jesuit Tradition is Cura Personalis (care for the person), generally understood as care for the entire person: mind, body, and spirit. Our goal should not simply be to provide help to faceless masses but to love each individual as a creation of God, made in His image.
One of the beloved organizers of the Mustard Seed, Michael Boover, wrote this memoir on Dorothy Day's approach to prayer. His reasoning behind this piece was to emulate her commitment to God and the unfortunate through being kind, welcoming, and giving. As the founder of the Catholic Worker Movement in 1933, she became known for her defense against the poor and powerless within her community, all through faith. To write about her exemplifies what it means to contribute to the overall mission of the Mustard Seed, physically and faithfully.