13th July 2008
Those of you who are gardeners will know how important it is to plant seeds in the proper place, to care for them, keep them safe from frost and away from too much sunlight. If you follow all that your harvest will surely come, deviate in any way from the above and the harvest will be less that it should have been. Today's gospel reading sees Jesus teaching the people in parables. It comes after so many were rejecting him and his message particularly the so called religious leaders of the time. The Apostles were beginning to get worried; maybe this Jesus was not all he was meant to be. Why were so many of their contempories rejecting him? Jesus uses the parable to reassure them that the harvest will indeed be sure. And so indeed it was sure thanks to the witness of Jesus and the preaching of those Apostles.
In our own day many are perhaps wondering about the existence of God, unsure about the whole necessity of belonging to the Church. We seem to hear more and more negativity about the credibility of a belief in God, and as the numbers coming to Mass continue to diminish it appears that the Church as we know it will come to an end and the last one out should turn out the lights and shut the door. However, don't allow yourselves to be troubled or afraid of the future. Remember the harvest is secure. It should not trouble us for example that some members of our own families choose not to frequent the Sacraments, or that the numbers believing in God appear to be diminishing. Remember the harvest is secure. God will provide for his people. In the last Century in particular the harvest was made secure by two extraordinary people, Pope John Paul II, and Blessed Teresa of Calcutta whose lives of faith gave hope and life to so many. They were two people who championed human dignity, one of them was instrumental in the defeat of Atheistic Communism, the other spent her life ministering to those whom the world wanted to ignore and forget.
The Church will endure not because of any new structures or great pastoral programmes but because it was founded by the will of Jesus Christ. This coming week the Pope will meet hundreds of thousands of young people in Sydney. That meeting will ensure the continuance of the faith for the next generation. Always remember the harvest is secure. Amen.
|
 |
Homilies Archive
2009 HOMILIES
25th December 2008
Christmas
21st December 2008
14th December 2008
8th December 2008
Immaculate Conception
7th December 2008
2nd Sunday of Advent
30th November 2008
1st Sunday of Advent
23rd November 2008
Christ the King
16th November 2008
2nd November 2008
All Souls
1st November 2008
All Saints
26th October 2008
12th October 2008
5th October 2008
28th September 2008
21st September 2008
14th September 2008
7th September 2008
31st August 2008
24th August 2008
17th August 2008
15th August 2008
Assumption
10th August 2008
3rd August 2008
20th July 2008
13th July 2008
29th June 2008
22nd June 2008
1st June 2008
23rd March 2008
Easter Sunday
22nd March 2008
Easter Vigil
2nd March 2008
24th February 2008
17th February 2008
10th February 2008
|
