The word Gospel derives from the old English word, god-spell, meaning good news or glad tidings. As most of you know Godspell, is my favorite musical to date :) It is a musical account of the Gospel of Matthew. Even though there was a lot of controversy around the movie AND the play, the meat of the show is sharing, I believe, just how we are supposed to share. Which brings me to WHY I am sharing this again... A sower went to sow some seed... (Matthew 13:1-23) is the Gospel reading today and of course my heart and mind go straight to all the little children who have played the seed being pecked by the birds or the ones that grew on rocky ground and the sun scorched them...Im melting, Im melting! There is NO DOUBT in my mind that the children will remember the lesson of Matthew their entire lives. They may have to be reminded, as we all do, but the lesson was put there, with a joy of what they love to do. We are created in the image and likeness of God, we were created from the dirt (clay) of the earth. We ARE the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13). What kind of earth are you? It matters...cause when the seed (the word of God) falls upon us, are we going to nourish that seed so it can bare great fruit or will we just let it be pecked by birds? Let it grow, but then whither up and die? I read a reflection today that I would love to share...its perfect for me and EXACTLY what I deal with often. Im thinking A LOT of us can relate. How will we take this seed that is given to us today? Lets ignite and be on fire together! No pressure... ;) Arriving home after four days on retreat, my heart was absolutely on fire for all things God. My radio was tuned to a Christian station, I watched the daily Mass on television, and I made time to both read the bible and pray the rosary. Ah, what a feeling. I thought this was a new me, and that I would never drift away from the things of God again. I was wrong. Within a month, the pop radio station and Toddlers & Tiaras filled my ears and eyes, and I was using my free time for Facebook games and shopping. What was potentially rich soil was not cultivated, leaving it vulnerable to sun, birds, and drought. The evil one does not want our hearts turned to heaven; he does not want us to experience the peace and blessing of being connected to God, and is particularly ruthless when someone exhibits habitual practices of faith. Sadly, he does not need to use very elaborate tactics – a busy schedule, worries and concerns, and our own ambitions, work rather nicely for his purposes. So how do we combat these distractions and destroyers of faith tillers? Persistence and Perseverance. We seek frequent participation in the Sacraments, especially Reconciliation and the Eucharist (including Adoration). We force ourselves to pray, even when we are tired or have a million other things to do. The most important, we connect with the body of Christ in community. For me, the retreat was fruitful while I was there among the others sharing and struggling to understand and maintain their faith. Once home, separated from this common bond and support, I crumbled and lost my way. Shortly after I recognized my back-slide, I opened my home to a women’s bible study group. The weekly meetings provided me the support and structure to pick up spiritual reading more often and eventually helped me build that practice into a daily habit. It cultivated rich soil within my soul, into which God could pour all the graces I needed to remain close to him, and to continue to grow even closer each day. (A. Gingras, CMom)
Posted on: Sun, 13 Jul 2014 13:03:51 +0000
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