Each Sunday, before mass, the PSR
teachers plant a little seed of faith in our children. Think about that and
remember all those who touched us on our path of faith.
Someone planted a seed of faith in
each of us who proclaims faith. Maybe, it was our parents. Maybe, faith grew
from the witness of a catechism teacher or a friend or even when a complete
stranger shared some act or example of their faith. Those acts of faith stirred
a flame. Someone introduced us to the gift of God that is in us and to Jesus
Christ. Someone planted our seed of faith.
The PSR teachers and Children’s
Liturgy minister are doing the same. As a community of parents, extended family,
friends, and believers, each and every one of us should be encouraging and
feeding the seeds of faith planted among us.
But, it can be hard to keep that
flame burning.
The enemy is constantly trying to extinguish
the flame. Look at the experience of our little church community the past few
months. The flame is smothered by the experience of so many people in the
world. And because of the work of the deceiver in the world, people blame God.
Look at the world and God does not intervene.
Looking at the suffering, crisis, ruin, and strife all about us; people cry
out, why Lord!!
Clearly, the news media revels in
the ruin of society, moral corruption, and even humankind. All these make many,
even persons of faith, hard of heart.
Many will cry out, God to take care
of all that is wrong and bad. God fix all that is not in my favor. God solve
all the problems in the world, especially, those problems that affect me. God,
why don’t you do what we want? Change my own little world.
If God doesn’t do this, we get mad
at God, at his church, and his people. We want God to do what we want.
That is why atheist point out that
the God of most Christians is a magic invisible genie that grants our wishes. And,
we want our wishes granted NOW!!!
And when it doesn’t happen like
they want, hearts harden. People leave the Church. They give up on God and
Jesus and the Holy Spirit. They give up on the community of believers that is
their support. They leave the ones who stirred a flame of faith within them.
Like little kids on the playground,
many take their ball and leave.
Because most that live in this
world want to make God our servant and slave. People are mad at God our creator
because he does not bow down to us. It
has always been that way. It is one of our shortcomings.
We are rash and without integrity. Scripture
calls us hard hearted. The small seed of faith cannot flourish planted in a
hardened heart. You can’t stir a flame
from a cold heart.
There is hope in the crisis. That
hope is in our hands or more appropriately in our hearts. It is the faith of
those who truly believe.
Faith does not give us cowardliness
to run from the challenges; but, it gives a spirit of courage, love and self-control
in Christ Jesus. It gives strength for hardships through the richness of trust
and help of the Holy Spirit.
True believers will fight the
hardness that comes naturally to our hearts. Each of us had a mustard seed of
faith planted deep inside of us when we were a child or an adult new believer. Some
have faith that comes from being longtime friends of Jesus. If we as believers
take that little seed of faith, wonders will be done.
Take it to the unrealized, tedious
and underappreciated things the world ignores. As a people of faith, all we do
in love of Christ is the right thing. As God’s adopted children, we honor,
respect, and care for all our heavenly Fathers creations.
As true believer, what He commands
of us gives the power to overcome all the hardships experienced in this world.
We overcome all the lies of the deceiver by sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ
by in our lives and in our actions. In these things God the Father, God the
Son, and God the Holy Spirit is there with us and in us and through us.
All we need is in us is a small
seed of faith and the fertile loving heart of Jesus Christ. The world is made better through us, by the
unseen and ever present word of God.
God’s said through the prophet Habakkuk,
“God’s vision has its time, presses on to fulfillment, and will not disappoint;
if it delays, wait for it…”
In those words is the promise of
the seed of faith planted in each believer. The seed of faith that moves mountains to change the world may be the one we gave to our children. Keep their faith and our faith
growing in a fertile heart enriched by the love of Christ.
Be good, be holy and preach the
Gospel by the way you live your life and love one another. Amen.
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