Where, in this grim time, when the world seems gripped by the deathtrap logic of war, do we find the seeds of hope? You might need a powerful microscope. St Justin the Martyr spoke of the logoi spermatikoi, seeds of the Word, Christ’s work in the world, active since the beginning, says Pope Francis in Laudato si’, “in a hidden manner”. God freely acts in spaces opened by grief, on behalf of the poor, but so off-radar that Jesus says the Kingdom of God starts off as a mustard seed that becomes a great tree.