The Good Soil of the Heart

Dear Friend,

This Sunday’s passage from Isaiah reads in part: “Just as from the heavens the rain and snow come down and do not return there till they have watered the earth…so shall my word be…” God’s word of life transforms us - penetrating and sinking in to our world and our very selves…

We’re living through an extraordinarily challenging period of history. Our hearts are at risk of being hardened by anger, fear, worry, and all kinds of emotional crossfire.  Right now, for me, God’s word is coming through brothers and sisters who will be initiated into the church over the next few weeks. They have been awaiting baptism, confirmation, and first communion over many months. Their patience and commitment are living signs to me of that slow, penetrating power of God’s love. Virtues like patience and hope have a way of seeping in and disrupting the power of inertia, separation, and confusion.

Gratitude can carry that same energy. I ran across these lines penned by Father Alex Manville thirty years ago for the parish bulletin at Sts. Simon and Jude:

“…It always starts with waking up in the morning. Another chance in becoming the person I’ll always be and want always to be. THE resurrection, the big one, lies down the road somewhere. But the “who” who’ll be raised up then is being determined by the resurrections I’m participating in (or not participating in) right now…

“Meanwhile, God, for his own weird reasons, has had mercy on this slow learner and given me this one more day to let go a bit and be raised a bit. He obviously believes in me. A special thanks for that, Lord.”

I add my thanks, especially to those who will be initiated, who have taken God’s word into the good soil of their hearts!

Gratefully,

Fr. Dan ofm, Pastor