SOWING THE SEEDS

 

SOWING THE SEED

 

 

“Hear this! A sower went out to sow.” – Mark 4:3

 

Almost every day, I meet all kinds of people — former officemates, friends, neighbors, business partners, former staff, people who belong to our organization, relatives….

Come to think of it, I would meet hundreds of people a month in different venues. They can be one-on-one meetings, big conferences, small group sessions, etc. Whether I like it or not, I influence them in one way or another.

The big question is, how have I sown the seed of God’s Word in their lives? Am I a sower of His Good News through my words or, more importantly, my actions? Have I used what the Lord has given me (tangible or otherwise) to lead them to Jesus? Have I responded to situations in a way that people are attracted to the Christian way of life?

These are just some compelling questions for us to consider. Let’s sow our seed boldly, trusting that it is His grace that will produce the fruits. Ariel Driz (adriz77@yahoo.com)

 

REFLECTION:

Have I shared the Lord lately?

 

Lord Jesus, teach me to share You effectively and boldly with people I meet every day. Amen.

 

 

AVOID SCORCHING YOUR ROOTS!

 

The Church invites us to reflect on a number of possibilities today in terms of how we embrace the Gospel when we hear it. I want to focus on just one — the scorched roots. I like to picture this image on those who fail to deepen their lives in the truth and thus find themselves led astray by the fads and fashions of the day and age. It is as though they are not willing to allow their life of discipleship to go deeper in relationship with Jesus.

A plant given only a thin layer of soil in which to live will find its roots getting scorched on a hot day because there is no protection from the burning sun. It is the same with our faith — unless we are firmly and deeply rooted in the truth we will not flourish and prosper as human beings. We may survive for a while as long as the challenges do not get too big, but eventually we will discover that we are not firmly rooted in the soil of the truth and we will wither and die. The assault of the lies of sin and the world will be too great for us to endure and they will overcome us. We will be burnt out struggling against them.

However, if we are deeply rooted in the truth, when the struggles and trials come, when the enemy sends his lies to distract and disorient us, we will be able to persevere because we will be founded in the truth of our faith to the point that we will not be moved by fads and fashions, lies and distractions. This is the sort of faith that the world needs today. Society has so compromised the truth of our humanity with its bowing down to the gods of expediency and materialism that it is very difficult for someone not rooted in the truth of their humanity(their being created in the image and likeness of God) to know how to

respond when confronted with the errors and lies of the modern age.

It is no different today as it has been in the past. The truth is always under assault from sin. It just seems that, in certain aspects, the world is coming close to establishing its doctrine rather than that of the truth of the Creator, God. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

 

Reflection Question:

Where do I look when I seek for truth today? Do I look to the world and its errors for the answers to my questions or is my life firmly rooted in the Word of God?

 

Holy Spirit, help me to overcome the lies and errors of modern society by building my life on the truth of the Word of God and thus maintaining a faithful witness to the Gospel.

 

St. Marius, pray for us.