“Let Us Bear Fruit!”
Fr. Rowel Jose (Arjay) Abanto
Jesus Christ in all His life teaches by means of parables, an earthly story with heavenly meaning that illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson. These are all taken from the life of the people, from their daily lives. By these parables, Jesus helped the people to discover, learn, find and see the things of God everyday. This Sunday’s Gospel reading, Jesus narrates two parables very close to His and people’s life: the story of the seed that grows by itself and the story of the small mustard seed which grows into the biggest shrub. Jesus teaches that there is a process, a need to wait, no need to rush, and there are stages and moments of growth. Even small like the mustard seed, it may grow like a shrub where birds make their nests. Small as it looks like but when it grows, it’s huge. These parables are how the Kingdom of God is. We are the farmers, and we need to simply wait and let things happen, and only Him who can make the seed prosperous and fruitful. Whatever we planted, nurtured, and cultivated, it is God who makes them grow. Christ asks us to continue plant the seed of the Gospel of Love, the Kingdom of God throughout the world and make it our way of life so that it may bear fruit a hundredfold. Christ asks us to carry on to ‘plant’ seeds of good will, patience, reconciliation, and justice wherever and whenever we can. Christ assures us that in God’s own good time, our plantings will result in the harvest of the kingdom of God. With the faith like the mustard seed, our smallest acts of love, compassion and kindness, in our unseen and unheralded offerings of encouragement and support, we can transform even the most barren of places into great gardens of hope, light, and inspiration. So, plant and bear fruit my dear brothers and sisters.
As I celebrated my 29th Anniversary of my Priestly Ordination (June10), I thank the Lord for all the bountiful harvest that He gave me. The seed my parents planted is nothing else but grace and mercy of God. I am nothing without His great love and compassion. My desire is to continue planting the seed of the Word of God everyday, every where, and to everybody.
Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam! For the Greater Glory of God!
