Myself and a few fellow volunteers were walking to communion service the other day that we lead at our neighbors’ house, and I was carrying a cup of beans for the homily as the gospel was on where you sow your seeds… in the good soil, in the rocks where they are eaten by birds, or where they will be choked by the thorny plants. As we were walking, I made fun of Laura, one of the other vols, and she hit my hand, knocking the cup to the ground and spilling the seeds in the rocky soil. Well, it must have been divine intervention that I made fun of Laura, because we picked up the previously clean beans, and in the process a couple of sticks, some dirt and a few rocks. During the reflection, Anne asked us to reflect in which type of soil our beans or seeds were planted. I couldn’t focus on the soil, because I just kept thinking about how dirty they were. I picked out the rocks, the sticks, and dusted them off until they were pretty and shiny. I sat there admiring my three pretty beans and wanted to put them in my pocket to save for later. It then occurred to me how I do the same with my faith. I have been good in the past about studying, praying and educating myself about my faith so that it became pretty and shiny. But then what did I do with it? I picked it up and put it in my pocket to pull out at my convenience for a good theological discussion, polished it off again, and put it back into my pocket to keep safe and clean. But is that what Christ is calling me to do? What good is a seed in my pocket? Of course it needs to be planted to give life. It needs to be shoved into the dirt, have a little shit thrown in it’s face, drowned by water and left to sit alone in the scorching sun until the point at which it breaks into two giving life to a small green plant. At the point where the bean is actually useful, it is no longer recognizable as a bean, and only if you are lucky can you see a pale shadow of what it once was.
Well friends, it is my turn to make dinner tonight, so I’d better get going. I hope that your beans are well planted.
Love you all!
Jenny
1 comment:
Thank you for sharing such a beautiful vision and wisdom. It made me think about my own christian walk and how little I understand what it truly means.
I appreciate all you do and particularly who you are.
Do you need any wound supplies, I have quite a bit, I would be more than happy to send them or send them with someone who is going down there soon. Take care
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