Sowing Seed

As part of our missionary coop, it has been a delight to have a Carmelite Friar with us this weekend.  His homily was concise and to the point.  An educator himself, the most significant part of his message was a quote from St John Paul the Great.  St. John Paul challenged his listeners to understand that we are all missionaries.  Not all of us will go to far away lands, inner-cities, or hyper-rural areas; but we are all called to nurture and share the Word of God.

Sometimes folks will tell me that they are going to read the Bible, usually for Lent or spiritual reading.  But they get to the Book of Leviticus and decide to give up.  To be sure the Bible is not assembled as a novel or the latest non-fiction book.  It is a collection of stories which are gathered for our enlightenment and understanding.  The scriptures are the telling of men and women of faith who have come to know God and struggle to remain faithful to the covenant.  More so the scriptures tell the marvelous story of God's love and mercy; and in his compassion, the desire for our salvation.

It is so important for us to recognize this story of God's journey with us, our sinfulness, and the need for conversion.  When we can narrate that story from our hearts we are called to share that story with others.  We spend a lot of time and effort in religious education and catholic schools training children in the ways of the faith.  In addition we need to familiarize them with the stories of our faith, introducing them to men and women who continued to seek for goodness, beauty, and truth.

Because our scriptural tradition conveys to us that beyond our own sin and betrayals. In the end, as Julian of Norwich says, "all will be well, and all will be well, and every manner of being will be well."  This ongoing process of receiving, cultivating, and sharing, knowing and telling the story of salvation, bears a fruitfulness which endures.  The story of sacred scripture becomes our story too.