six days ago photo taken

 

sept 23 2006

Memorial of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, priest (Padre Pio)

1 Cor 15:35-37, 42-49 Brothers and sisters: Someone may say, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come back?” You fool! What you sow is not brought to life unless it dies. And what you sow is not the body that is to bebut a bare kernel of wheat, perhaps, or of some other kind. So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown corruptible; it is raised incorruptible. It is sown dishonorable; it is raised glorious. It is sown weak; it is raised powerful. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual one. So, too, it is written,“The first man, Adam, became a living being,” the last Adam a life-giving spirit. But the spiritual was not first; rather the natural and then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, earthly; the second man, from heaven. As was the earthly one, so also are the earthly,and as is the heavenly one, so also are the heavenly. Just as we have borne the image of the earthly one,we shall also bear the image of the heavenly one.

Ps 56:10c-12, 13-14 R. (14) I will walk in the presence of God, in the light of the living.
Now I know that God is with me.In God, in whose promise I glory,in God I trust without fear;what can flesh do against me?
R. I will walk in the presence of God, in the light of the living.
I am bound, O God, by vows to you;your thank offerings I will fulfill. For you have rescued me from death,my feet, too, from stumbling;that I may walk before God in the light of the living.
R. I will walk in the presence of God, in the light of the living.

Gospel Lk 8:4-15 When a large crowd gathered, with people from one town after another journeying to Jesus, he spoke in a parable. “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path and was trampled, and the birds of the sky ate it up. Some seed fell on rocky ground, and when it grew,it withered for lack of moisture. Some seed fell among thorns,and the thorns grew with it and choked it. And some seed fell on good soil, and when it grew, it produced fruit a hundredfold.” After saying this, he called out,“Whoever has ears to hear ought to hear.” Then his disciples asked him what the meaning of this parable might be. He answered,“Knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of God has been granted to you; but to the rest, they are made known through parables so that they may look but not see, and hear but not understand. “This is the meaning of the parable. The seed is the word of God. Those on the path are the ones who have heard, but the Devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts that they may not believe and be saved. Those on rocky ground are the ones who, when they hear, receive the word with joy, but they have no root; they believe only for a time and fall away in time of temptation. As for the seed that fell among thorns, they are the ones who have heard, but as they go along, they are choked by the anxieties and riches and pleasures of life, and they fail to produce mature fruit. But 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.”

I remember the prayer cards that I had seen of Padre Pio when I was in Rome 2000 before he was declared a saint. There are many who came to him for healing. What makes a person able to be an instrument of God so fully? Perhaps the gospel has some of the answer today. The Word of God is embraced with "a generous and good heart." The other part is that everything does not happen at one time and I need perserverance in my faith. I need to be steadfast in not allowing the anxieties or material distractions of this life to cut off my ability to do the good works of God, the fruit of faith. This reading is for me also a reminder to cling to the word of God and the joy of faith and not allow anything to cut me off from it whether it is a material temptation or a worry or a blindness about something. God wants that seed to continue to grow to bear the fruits of good works in the love of God and others. I believe that as my faith grows, I truly become more fully who God intended me to be. I feel that my God given gifts begin to be used as they were intended the more that my faith is rooted and growing and bearing fruit. I love the parable of the seed and the plant growing and fruit.

All of God's creation is good and living and life giving. When I am outdoors or in the garden or on a walk, I see and hear and feel the joy of the goodness of God. Last night after dinner, it was still light out and warm but the air was very pleasant. I could hear the singing of a bird that I had never noticed that particular song before coming from the row of Camphor tres. I walked closer and looked but this time never saw it. I look forward to seeing some day what the bird looks like who matches that beautiful song. It is a gift and a wonder and a blessing and a joy that God reveals more of life daily.