When a great crowd gathered and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable: “A sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell on the path and was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. Some fell on the rock; and as it grew up, it withered for lack of moisture. Some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew with it and choked it. Some fell into good soil, and when it grew, it produced a hundredfold.” As he said this, he called out, “Let anyone with ears to hear listen!” (Luke 8:4-8)
I am thankful that my parents raised me up in the Catholic faith. In particular, I am thankful that they enrolled me in the Catholic education system (elementary and high school). I didn’t know at the time, but my parents were just trying to help the seed of faith grow in good soil.
I was given the opportunity to serve as an alumni leader for my high school grad retreat. It was really tough to see how taboo our faith is in a Catholic high school, as difficult as that is to understand. But I could easily relate to them because I was once there too.
All throughout high school, I took the seed of faith and placed it among thorns where it was choked. I was choking myself from experiencing Jesus. Bad choices and decisions led to many hardships, broken relationships and emptiness. However, after experiencing what life was like without Jesus, I chose to experience life with Him. There was nothing to lose from choosing the Lord. It was difficult. Growing is difficult. It hurts. But as Fr. Dave says, “if it doesn’t hurt, maybe we’re not growing”.
The retreat was an opportunity to be an instrument of the Sower. And that opportunity is something given to me every day. I just need to choose it. I need to choose the Lord, His soil, every day. Every opportunity to love is an opportunity to sow seeds and for our seeds to be sown in good soil. Every opportunity to choose love is an opportunity to choose God.
Thank You, Lord, for the people in my life who have helped me grow in faith. Thank You for allowing me to experience Your love through their love for me. You have commissioned me to be an instrument of love to help sow seeds of faith in others. Grant me the grace to choose Love in every opportunity You give me.