How does a tree grow? The scientists can give us their answers, but the miracle of life on our earth, in all its dazzling complexity and variety is exactly that ‑ a miracle. God is responsible for the miracle of Nature and growth ‑ how, we don’t know, but we accept God's guiding hand as a fact of our faith. This mysterious growth in Nature is used as a parable today, for the life of the Church and the Kingdom of God. Just as a seed, planted and watered, turns by miraculous pro-cesses into something different and bigger and beautiful, so the seed of the Gospel will grow into something else, by some means we can never fully understand. And that is the grace of God, encouraging, prompting and helping all men and women of good will to swell the com-ing Kingdom of our God. !