MAY OUR FAITH BE FRUITFUL AND STRONG
We need always to share God's love in a world that wants Him out… The
harvest God will grant us is worth any struggle now.
I read recently
about how our memories sometimes play tricks on us. Years after some difficult
struggle, which at the time seemed unbearable, we scarcely recall how trying
things were. That is why people can so easily refer back to the "good old
days." More often than not, they were not really good, but memory had
mercifully cast its veil over the unpleasantness. This is especially true if
the struggle was worth it.
The letter to the
Hebrews was written after the original "good old days" of Christianity,
probably between the years 80 and 90 AD. Many of the people to whom this letter
was addressed had gone through terrible persecutions, but had survived. Now for
some reason they had grown discouraged and lax in their faith. They needed to
recall former times when they were more heroic, not with a sense of nostalgia,
but with a realization that their old zeal and enthusiasm could be recaptured.
We are not sure what their present problem was, but the author of the letter
wanted them to recognize that any effort needed to rejuvenate themselves should
be put forth. Effort in the present would bring about satisfaction in the
future, because God responds to that effort.
Something of this
same idea is contained in the words of Jesus in the Gospel. The most difficult
time of farming is when the seed must be sown. Once that work has been
completed, the farmer can look forward to the harvest. And the day of harvest
makes him forget all the backbreaking work that preceded it. Today, in the
Gospel, we reflect on the message of the parable of the mustard seed, a small
seed which grows into a great refuge for birds. The planting of one small act
of faithfulness has grown into remarkable results. In our parable today a
farmer also plants seed. After the hard work of the planting, he relaxes; he
moves forward.
If we really look
through the years of our own lives, we too can see the hard times of our labor
and how that labor produced fruit in our lives. It has brought us to where we
are today in faith, life, and relationships. There are many times that we have
planted a seed in things, loved ones, and friends. Let us never be afraid to
try and do what is good, the thing that makes a positive difference in lives
and in our world. Let us never be afraid to help one another and spread the
good news of the Gospel. We need always to share God's love in a world that
wants Him out. We need to keep our spiritual bearings and stayed focus on God
and where we are heading. We are heading to the resurrection, to our heavenly home.
When we have bad
days, we can all look back on some past experience and remember that God got us
through. That realization should give us encouragement in the present and hope
for the future. The harvest God will grant us is worth any struggle now.
In our responsorial
psalm today we acclaim, "The salvation of the just comes from the
Lord" (Ps 37). It is the hand of the Lord who sustains us so our faith can
be fruitful and strong throughout our journey!