The Sower and the seeds...

Most living in the cities have lost touch with Mother Earth. The city children have very little knowledge about farming and raising livestocks. I was surprised with the kind of answers I received from the fifth grade students. The first question I asked was: " From where do we get milk?" Most of them answered from Fred Myers, Costco or some other grocery stores. I received the same answers when I asked about eggs and other farm products.

The earth is our mother which produces abundant crops to feed her children. However, her children have neglected their mother and taken her for granted. Today, we hear the buzz word "Global Warming" resounding all around us. Is mother earth reacting to us for our carelessness and disregard, or perhaps, calling for our attention? It seems that we have walked on the wrong path for a long time.

Jesus was so much in tune with nature, that he could appreciate it gracefully, and enhance its worth for our wellbeing. He compared the "Kingdom of God" to the natural world to give us a clear understanding about the eternal reality. He compared the Kingdom fo God to such thing as yeast, a pearl, a fish caught in the net, sheep and goats, the wheat and weeds and many others. Through the empirical world he wanted to lead us to the spiritual realm.

"The Sower went out to sow seeds." This scenario is still prevalent in the developing countries. However, in the developed countries everything is done by machine. Whether by hand or by machine, the seeds need to be sown in the grown for a new crop and for a fresh harvest. Only those seeds that fall on the good soil, produce an abundant yield.

The Word of God is the Seed for the eternal harvest. Jesus is the Word of God, which has been sown in our hearts to produce good fruits of faith, hope and love. But, we need to prepare the ground for the seed to take deep roots. This we can do by listening to the word of God; by celebrating the sacraments and performing works of charity. Let us not allow the seed to be taken away from us by the bird in the air, through false living, and wrong values. God continuously sows the seeds of salvation in the hearts of his children.
- Fr. Peter Fernandes, sfx. (St. Timothy Church Bulletin)