DAILY HOMILIES #growth

Jesus tells us that a man scatters the seed on the ground and goes to sleep only to see the seed growing. How this happens, he does not know. In other words, it is not for us to know how the Word works; all we have to do is scatter the seed and let God do the rest.

We cannot all become ordained ministers, consecrated men and women, bishops, or cardinals in the church, but at the end of the day, not even the Pope will receive a greater reward than the newly baptised. Jesus says: “The last will be first, and the first will be last.” This means that there would be no last or first.

The beginning may be rough, very rough. We may even face great temptations; so great that we may attempt giving up; progress may be slow; people may mock us because they wouldn’t see any change in us. But we should never be discouraged. Keep moving on. One day, that good habit you just began will become part of you and like a shrub that attracts birds of the air, people will come to ask you: “how did you become so successful?”

It would be a contradiction that we are wearing green while there is no significant growth in our relationship with God. Recall how Jesus was attracted to a fig tree with leaves only for him to go close to the tree and did not find any young fruit sprouting on it?