Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Parish

All of us baptised Christians are called to evangelise, to sow the seeds of God’s truth. The seed of Faith that was sown in us at baptism has grown into a tree, ready to bear fruit and sow seeds of its own. We should be talking about Jesus to everybody we know. Our whole lives should be a witness to Christ’s love and mercy… but that’s hard thought right?

We don’t want to be pushy, we don’t want to offend people, we don’t want to seem like a religious nut. We don’t want to be rejected. I get it. I really do.

But God isn’t asking us to stand on a streetcorner with a Bell and a sandwich board shouting at passers by. The smallest seed, a teeny tiny mustard seed, grows into the largest tree. Our sowing can be as simple as changing our language: instead of telling people we’ll be thinking of them, say the words “I will pray for you”. Better yet, stop what you’re doing and pray with them. When we have friends that are traveling, offer them a medal or prayer card of St Christopher to keep them safe on their journey. Share your story about how God touched your life. Share those tiny miracles that happen everyday that fuel your Faith. Invite people to church events, sometimes all people are looking for is a little community. Invite them to Mass.

But still, and that’s our reality today, it can be hard to sow those seeds because most people we meet will be part of the the “oh Jesus… no thanks” crowd.

The thing we have to realize is that only God knows what’s in people’s hearts. To grow a seed, we need to have the right kind of soil. We might come across someone who’s heart is filled with rich loamy soil, that we can just drop the seed in and up it sprouts just like that. We might also, maybe more often, come a cross with a heart like cement, where our seed of faith just sits there.

That’s where God comes in. We’re called to Sow the seeds of faith, but it’s not up to us to make them grow. It’s God who takes a jackhammer to somebody’s concrete heart to get at the soil underneath. It’s not up to us how God goes about changing our hearts either. It can be incredibly painful to watch someone we love walk away from the Faith, or outright deny it. Go down a wrong path. But sometimes it’s through suffering that God changes out hearts.

We all know the verse “Faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains”, but we’re not the ones doing the moving! God is! We’re doing the trusting! We’re trusting in God’s plan for us! And yes it’s hard, and yes as parents especially we Sow those seeds of faith in our kids and hope and pray that they grow.

I know I look at my kids sometimes and wonder if the seeds of faith have taken root at all… then I remember that I prayed the Lord to help me grow in Humility. My kids keep me humble!

I didn’t understand who God was until I became a parent. Before then, God, especially in the Old Testament, seemed to me to be a very controlling God who just liked making up rules. It’s when I became I parent that I got to see God’s heart. He’s a loving father who never gives up on his children. He sure didn’t give up on me. He’s never going to give up on your children either. He’s not going to give up on your spouse, or your sibling, or your friend.

So let’s all of us continue, or commit to, sowing the seeds of faith. Let’s not hide away our faith but wear it openly as a shining example of how God’s love has transformed our lives.

And trust that in God’s good time, he will make those tiny mustard seeds grow into the greatest trees with the largest branches.

It’s not us on our own power that moves the mountain. It’s our trust in God. So let’s trust Him. And sow seeds of faith. AMEN