Dear Friends,

In the parable this week’s Gospel provides for our reflection; it may seem at first glance, that the wasteful extravagance of the Sower is its central theme and or the superabundance of the seed might be the focus. This is, however, not so. The story is about the quality of the soil upon which it falls. In other words, it is a lesson of personal responsibility to nurture the seed-bed of our soul to receive or reject the generous and superabundant gifts of the Word of God and His grace.

As the seeds of God’s Word have been sown in our lives; how have we received them? The Word of God is like a double-edged sword that cuts through all our human excuses and challenges us with the very best—the fullness of being—God Himself, to be and give the very best that we have and are. “It is both terrible and comforting to dwell in the inconceivable nearness of God, and so to be loved by God Himself that the first and last gift is infinity and inconceivability itself. But we have no choice. God is with us.” (K. Rahner) As His Word enters the seedbed of our hearts, we must ask ourselves, how well have we prepared and cultivated it for this precious seed to grow?

The question posed in the silence of the sanctuary of our hearts is: Where have the seeds fallen? What is the state of my soul to receive the Word of God? Have I taken time to reflect—in the silence of a sacred space—upon my life, what I have, and what I can offer? Have I taken advantage of the various opportunities to grow in the grace of Christ Jesus through the liturgy, the sacraments and sacramentals? Have I spent time in adoration before the Eucharistic Lord? Have I afforded myself the grace of the sacrament of reconciliation? Have I given thanks for the blessings I possess and have received, rather than complaining about what I do not have, or worse, what someone else has? Do I feel overwhelmed, alone, too busy to keep myself focused? Have I lost my way, allowing “worldly anxiety, the lure of riches, and the craving for other things to intrude and choke” God’s Word, stifling the Holy Spirit in my life? Have I forgotten how to still myself in God’s presence—to pray? And even with my financial resources, especially during these difficult times: have I taken the best for myself and only given what is left over to God? All these questions of course, are based upon how seriously we perceive and acknowledge the gravity of the Gift given and the generosity of the Giver. As a community of believers, or better, a community of disciples, our generosity will be directly proportionate to our gratitude. With the same disposition, the Psalmist reflects: “How can I repay the LORD for all the good He has done for me? I will raise the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD. I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people. . . . I will offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the LORD.” (Ps 116: 12-14, 17) Where have the seeds fallen for us? Here at St. Isaac Jogues Parish, here in Wayne, here in our families and here in my own heart? May we welcome the gentle and challenging Word of God into our lives and hearts and re-commit ourselves to prepare the seedbed of our souls daily so that we may bear fruit thirty and sixty and a hundredfold. After a year of being your pastor, receive my imperfect, yet sincere, gratitude and service; and in turn, I ask for your continued prayers for me. Please pray for our Holy Father, our bishops and priests and especially for an increase of generosity in the hearts of those young men our Lord is calling to the Priesthood.

“Here I am, Lord; here is my body, here is my heart, here is my soul. Grant that I may be big enough to reach the world, strong enough to carry it, pure enough to embrace it without wanting to keep it. Grant that I may be a meeting-place, but a temporary one; a road that does not end in itself, because everything to be gathered there, everything human, leads toward You. Lord, tonight, while all is still and I feel sharply the sting of solitude, while men devour my soul and I feel incapable of satisfying their hunger, while the whole world presses on my shoulders with all its weight of misery and sin, I repeat to you my "Yes"—not in a burst of laughter, but slowly, clearly, humbly—alone, Lord, before You, in the peace of the evening. Amen.” (M. Quoist. “The Priest: A Prayer on Sunday Night,” in Prayers, New York: Sheed and Ward, 1983.)

Be of good cheer and have a blessed and restful week!

Msgr. Grous