From Our Pastor's Desk
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From Our Pastor's Desk
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A SEED OF HOPE
It is quite likely that Jesus told the parables of the mustard seed and the parable of the seed that grows silently in the night and the parable of the sower, when the group of his followers was small and the fruits of his preaching were few and far between. It was the opportune moment for sowing hope in the hearts of his disciples. Sisters and brothers: Jesus also invites us today to draw three lessons from this Gospel: that we be realists, that we be patient, and that we hope in his promises: 1. The word of God does not bear fruit automatically. In life we reap what we sow. Going through life waiting for a stroke of luck is similar to that flame that quickly dies out. What remains is that which one toiling builds up. It is necessary that we create the conditions needed so that the seed takes root and grows until it reaches its fullness. Things that are worthwhile don't come about just like that; rather they are built little by little. Hope is a theological virtue, which responsibly takes the present into account and it values it and faces it with real-ism. Our life is transcendent and we know that our human drama will certainly be overcome. 2. The word of God will bear fruit at its proper time. And God's timing does not always coincide with ours. We have to begin each day with new goals as if each were the first, the only, and the last day of our lives. We should nev-er be downhearted. We always have to conquer new goals no matter what it may cost us. Thanks to our hope we nev-er remain fixed in a spot with our arms crossed; there is always a second chance. 3. The word of God has humble beginnings and sure ends. A farmer is a man of hope because year after year he begins preparing his land confident that this year will be better than the previous ones. We have the same sentiments as that farmer, because we can always be better, we always hope for better times. Let us allow things to develop grad-ually. Humble and insignificant beginnings will turn into works of God which change people and our contemporary society. In the Church we are that small seed that Christ wanted to sow; through us grace and salvation will have to reach all those men and women who live around us. Mother Teresa of Calcutta used to say: "Don't try to do spectacular things. What is most important is your daily gift of self." Let us ask God not to become disheartened in moments of crisis, even though we do not see the fruits; let us not allow ourselves to become seduced by purely material results; may we always feel the nearness and the solidarity of the Church, present in every corner of the earth; and above all, may we learn to discover the hand of God, even in the small actions of our lives. Amen. Source: ePriest.com / Best Practices and Homily Resources for Catholic Priests Comments are closed.
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