Beloved in Christ,
“A sower went out to sow” (Mt 13:3). It is seeding time! Seeding is a past participle form of the noun seed. Like Jesus, I want to borrow this word from botany and agriculture to illustrate the mission Jesus calls all of us to by virtue of our baptism. The act of seeding is a deliberate one, informed by soil preparation and the careful selection of healthy seeds. Jesus finds this metaphor meaningful and helpful in teaching his hearers the importance of mission. Jesus is the sower, and his word is the seed. Jesus intends that the act of sowing, the seeding of his Gospel, continues after his ascension. He calls and sends his disciples to extend this mission. When we receive baptism, we become sowers by default. In being named, we are called not only to live in Christ and be identified as sons and daughters of the Father, but we are automatically called and sent to bear witness in words and deeds to the Kingdom.
This past Tuesday, I met three men called and sent by Christ and his church to bear witness publicly to the Gospel. These men, Antonio Ugues (Maryland), Isaiah Vargas (Georgia), and Elmer Garcia (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), members of Neo-Catechumen, came to the parish office to share their experience of Jesus. Each one narrated their encounter with Jesus. The fruit of their encounter with Christ is the embrace of the mission. Each had a different background and struggles with sin (infidelity in marriage, alcoholism, fornication, addiction to porn, selfish indulgence in worldly pleasure, and so forth), but through the Neo-Catechumen experience, the love of Christ. Now filled with the Spirit and the love of Christ, they are walking from parish to parish within the diocese to share the experience of Christ's love and healing with others. They are seeding! I listened, and their testimonies impacted me. I am hoping to invite them back someday.
All of us, like Antonio, Isaiah, and Elmer, are called to go out to seed. We are called by Jesus through baptism to go on mission. We need not wait until we are perfect before seeding. We only need to have faith and be available. Many of us in the parish are gifted in different ways to go out and sow. What is your story? What is your ongoing encounter with Jesus like? In what ways is Jesus and his church calling you to go out “seeding”? No one is useless; all are useful in spreading the seed of the Word of God to those within their family and beyond. We need parishioners willing to reach out to those who have become dormant to invite them back to the active life of faith in our parish. No one should be considered lost. We must live our faith by practicing mission; it is the purpose for which the church is established. Are you ready to go seeding? Start at this Mass by opening your heart to Jesus in the liturgy of the Word and Eucharist.
In Christ,
Fr. Alayode, OP
“A sower went out to sow” (Mt 13:3). It is seeding time! Seeding is a past participle form of the noun seed. Like Jesus, I want to borrow this word from botany and agriculture to illustrate the mission Jesus calls all of us to by virtue of our baptism. The act of seeding is a deliberate one, informed by soil preparation and the careful selection of healthy seeds. Jesus finds this metaphor meaningful and helpful in teaching his hearers the importance of mission. Jesus is the sower, and his word is the seed. Jesus intends that the act of sowing, the seeding of his Gospel, continues after his ascension. He calls and sends his disciples to extend this mission. When we receive baptism, we become sowers by default. In being named, we are called not only to live in Christ and be identified as sons and daughters of the Father, but we are automatically called and sent to bear witness in words and deeds to the Kingdom.
This past Tuesday, I met three men called and sent by Christ and his church to bear witness publicly to the Gospel. These men, Antonio Ugues (Maryland), Isaiah Vargas (Georgia), and Elmer Garcia (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), members of Neo-Catechumen, came to the parish office to share their experience of Jesus. Each one narrated their encounter with Jesus. The fruit of their encounter with Christ is the embrace of the mission. Each had a different background and struggles with sin (infidelity in marriage, alcoholism, fornication, addiction to porn, selfish indulgence in worldly pleasure, and so forth), but through the Neo-Catechumen experience, the love of Christ. Now filled with the Spirit and the love of Christ, they are walking from parish to parish within the diocese to share the experience of Christ's love and healing with others. They are seeding! I listened, and their testimonies impacted me. I am hoping to invite them back someday.
All of us, like Antonio, Isaiah, and Elmer, are called to go out to seed. We are called by Jesus through baptism to go on mission. We need not wait until we are perfect before seeding. We only need to have faith and be available. Many of us in the parish are gifted in different ways to go out and sow. What is your story? What is your ongoing encounter with Jesus like? In what ways is Jesus and his church calling you to go out “seeding”? No one is useless; all are useful in spreading the seed of the Word of God to those within their family and beyond. We need parishioners willing to reach out to those who have become dormant to invite them back to the active life of faith in our parish. No one should be considered lost. We must live our faith by practicing mission; it is the purpose for which the church is established. Are you ready to go seeding? Start at this Mass by opening your heart to Jesus in the liturgy of the Word and Eucharist.
In Christ,
Fr. Alayode, OP
RSS Feed