Good Seed

Tags

bear fruit, disciples, embrace, generosity of heart, Gospel, grateful, harvest, Jesus, Luke, perseverance, sowing seeds, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Although we are moving through the season of harvest here in our country now, the gospel for today reminds us of the necessity of sowing seeds on good ground. (LK 8:4-15) The disciples of Jesus didn’t understand the parable in which his message was “hidden” so he did something that rarely appears in these gospel texts. He explained the meaning! As he spoke of the different kinds of “soil” in which the word of God might be sown, they heard the pitfalls of life in how the yield of what was sown might be more or less. In the end, we find that as for the seed that fell on rich soil, they are the ones who, when they have heard the word, embrace it with a generous and good heart, and bear fruit through perseverance. (vs.15)

So today it may be time to look at what we have seen growing around and within us because of our generosity of heart and perseverance, being grateful for what has blossomed as well as for what needed to be weeded out. For all of it, may we give thanks to the Lord of the harvest.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wisdom Seekers

Tags

awareness, blessedness, chaos, compassion, generosity of heart, held by God, light of mercy, listen, psalm 112, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, wisdom

Having just come from three days in the company of a dozen people who are seeking to open their hearts more deeply to God in the study of wisdom, I was taken by this morning’s psalm. The title given in an alternative translation for Psalm 112: 1-6 is The Seeker of Wisdom and the message is clear.

Hallelujah! I speak in praise of all the truly blessed upon the earth. They stand in awe, aware of God, and listen carefully to every breath and word God utters. They grow and spread across the land; their children’s generations are also full of blessedness. Their houses fill with wealth and good and all relationships of theirs are just and fair. In all the dark and bitter places of their lives the light remains and brightly burns with mercy and compassion, for these they balance with righteous laws. They share their wealth with generosity of heart. In the times of chaos they are firm and planted deep, for they are held by you in full remembrance.

May we all continue in blessedness because of our willingness to “listen carefully to every breath and word God utters” and to know, in times of chaos, that we are held by God. In this way the light of mercy and compassion will guide us faithfully and we will become that light to all we meet.