Thursday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Mathew’s Gospel today describes the instruction which Jesus gave to the twelve apostles as they began their lives of ministry.  He invited them to serve, heal and teach proclaiming God’s word while living simply and being dependent on the hospitality of others.   As I read this gospel, I feel drawn to pray about my own path as a religious sister in the Catholic Church.  Like the Disciples, I too had a guide.  My instruction began with my Irish grandmother.

My grandmother was a loving woman who was also an amazing cook and excellent gardener.  She could grow everything from a stunning flower to a luscious tomato.   When I was a child she would often teach me about seeds and say to me that God planted seeds in our lives and wanted those seeds to grow.   She would gently explain that it was important for us to notice where God was encouraging us to grow and if we cared well and paid attention to those seeds, they would take root and flourish just like her beautiful gardens.

All of us are called to be gardeners in our lives and relationships.   As God’s partners in this world, we too must be sowers.  Paul Molinari SJ said it the best:  You must not be concerned about the fruit of what you do.  You must be generous in throwing the seed with open hands, without becoming discouraged when the fertile soil seems scarce… God, on the other hand, would have us sow generously, extravagantly, even wastefully—wherever we may find ourselves.  We can afford to, too, knowing full well that God is the keeper of the harvest.  We are mere sowers.  As such, we need concern ourselves solely with this:  how wide is the arc of our throw, how open our hands. 

Jesus sent his Apostles into their ministries by sowing seeds of simplicity and encouragement.  The Church grew and flourished.  May the gardens of our lives flourish and may we continue to grow as we open ourselves to God’s lavish and generous love.