A Letter from Fr. Paul - Sunday, July 16th

There are lots of thoughts that cross my mind when I reflect on the parable of the sower, which is our Gospel this weekend.  The farmer is extravagant: he throws seeds everywhere, instead of sowing them only in the rich soil, where they will produce abundant fruit.
 
Suppose we think of the seeds as an analogy for the words that come forth from our mouths.  We’ve heard the saying, “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me”.  That may be true in the sense that words will never physically hurt someone, but our words can do a lot of harm.  I would suspect that all of us have been hurt by something that someone else has said and we have all hurt someone else. 
 
There is no doubt our nation is in turmoil, very divided and contentious.  Think of the part hateful speech plays in the situation we find ourselves in.  If we examine the words that come out of the mouths of our leaders, what percentage are positive and build up and what percentage are negative?  Until that changes, we will not be able to work toward a consensus that benefits everyone, especially the most vulnerable.
 
The same is true in our daily lives, be it in our family or work or any other situation: any negative words feed a negative environment. That is NOT bringing about the Kingdom.
 
Every word that comes out of my mouth is either positive or negative, either builds up or tears down, is a source for good or evil.  Let us resolve to do our best to make sure our words are a positive source of building up God’s Kingdom of peace and harmony. To go back to our parable: let us make sure we are sowing our seeds in rich soil, where they will produce good results!  God bless.
 
Church sign of the week: God gave us mouths that close and ears that don’t. That might tell us something.