Daily reflection _ let them grow

LET THEM GROW
God will reward each of us by doing good works and living our lives fully in doing His will.
Deacon John Ruscheinsky
I would like to start with this little prayer: "Lord, may your word take deep root in my heart and that I may bear good fruit for your glory. May I hunger for your righteousness now that I may look forward to the day of eternal life with excitement and great joy." Amen.
In the Gospel of Matthew Jesus uses common everyday examples of planting, harvesting, and sorting the good fruit from the bad. God's word brings life. God will reward each of us by doing good works and living our lives fully in doing His will.
Today the church honors Saint Sharbel who brought forth good fruit through his labors. Born in northern Lebanon in 1828, he was a Maronite Catholic monk and priest. His reputation for holiness and simplicity led to his canonization in 1977. Descended from the ancient church at Antioch, Maronite Catholics spent centuries isolated from other Christian communities and appointed their own patriarch. Unique among Eastern Catholics, however, Maronites have always remained in full communion with the Church of Rome. When St. Sharbel was canonized, Bishop Francis Zayek, head the U.S. Diocese of St. Maron, noted that Sharbel's canonization and other Maronite beatifications prove that the Aramaic Maronite Antiochian Church is indeed a living branch of the Catholic Church.
In out Responsorial Psalm we acclaim: Lord, you have the words of everlasting life. They are more precious than gold, and sweeter than syrup.