He Sows Good Seed

He Sows Good Seed

July 31 2012

Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Priest

By Beth DeCristofaro

Let my eyes stream with tears day and night, without rest, Over the great destruction which overwhelms the virgin daughter of my people, over her incurable wound. (Jeremiah 14:17)

"He who sows good seed is the Son of Man, the field is the world, the good seed the children of  the Kingdom. The weeds are the children of the Evil One, and the enemy who sows them is the Devil.  The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.  (Matthew 13:37-39)

Piety

…we, your people and the sheep of your pasture,
will give thanks to you forever;
through all generations we will declare your praise. (Psalm 79:13)

Study

The other day I was visiting friends and got to spend some time with their grandkids.  The toddler is blissfully active.  The baby watches everything calmly.  I am personally pretty optimistic and hopeful but can’t help having some qualms that innocence, such as these two sweet children, will face pretty difficult hurdles in life.

Not in the least is the fact that the reason for my visit to their home was the unexpected death of their uncle.  Numb sadness was ironically juxtaposed with the bright laughter and potentiality of these babies.  They made us smile even while we cried together for the loss which the family has incurred.  Faith that God abides holds this family up in the gale winds of grief.

God sows good seed.  And God seems to be grieved, also, over evil faced by we whom God has created and whom God loves.  Weeds of sin, accident, natural disasters, personal and societal choices to turn from goodness and truth grieve us personally and as Christians.  And they grieve God.  As Catholic Christians we have been promised that weeds will not overcome the harvest.  As a community we can grow thick and strong despite weeds, holding each other up in the light of God’s love which holds us all up. 

Action

Our interior weeds are ripe for us to whack – or pull from the roots.  God’s love is fertilizer to transform weeds into fruitful crops.  Dig out a few weeds and give God’s love room to grow deeper within so that you can offer that love to others.