11th Sunday
in Ordinary Time
 |
| Holy Family Stained Glass Window Assumption Church Fairfield, CT |
Today’s first reading from
the book of the prophet Ezekiel speaks of a tender shoot that the Lord plucks
off a great cedar tree and plants it among his people. It will itself grow into
a mighty tree offering sustenance and shelter to those who seek refuge in its
branches. Of course, this botanical imagery is just meant to be a metaphor for
how God calls upon all of us to grow and bear great fruit in our lives.
Jesus uses the same imagery
in today’s gospel when he says, “this is how it is with the Kingdom of God.”
It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the
ground,
Is the smallest of all the seeds of the earth.
But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the
largest of plants…
Like Ezekiel Jesus is calling
on little, ordinary people like ourselves to put forth large branches and bear
much fruit.
Today’s gospel reminded me of
one such a person in my home parish who passed away a few years ago. His name
was Theodore, which coincidentally means God’s gift, but everyone called him
Ted. He was a small, unassuming, and quiet spoken man who rarely talked about
himself but he was one of the most giving men I have ever known.
At his funeral I saw an old
black and white marriage photo. Ted, who served in World War II, was in uniform
next to his young Italian war bride who had sewn her beautiful white wedding
gown out of Ted’s parachute. I never met his wife because she died shortly
before I met Ted, but I know that he loved her until the day he died. They had
four or five children and all were there at the funeral with a number of
grandchildren. One of the grandchildren gave a brief eulogy in which he described
all the things his grandfather had taught him.
Ted was an avid gardener and
wine maker but by profession he was a master electrician who worked at his
trade right until his final illness struck. My wife and I originally met him in
an Italian language class but he subsequently became a friend as well as our
electrician. I will never forget the night our electricity went out during a
violent ice storm. Ted came to the house, climbed a ladder, and repaired a
broken power line in the midst of the storm.
The only problem we ever had
with Ted was that he was always reluctant to accept payment from friends. There
was a large crowd in the Church at his funeral and I’m sure that most had also
been the recipients of Ted’s generosity will never be canonized but he was one
of the multitude of ordinary men who loved their families, their church, and
their country.
In today’s second reading St.
Paul speaks of courage. He says that even though our real home is not here, we
must live our lives as best we can here on earth. We must be courageous. Today’s
readings about little, ordinary people provide an opportunity to give a brief mention
of Fathers’ Day. I know that we all have our different vocations in life, and I
do not wish to slight anyone, but it takes real courage to be a father. It
takes real courage to make a commitment to give up your own wants in order to
live for your wife and children.
In today’s world when even
the idea of Fatherhood is maligned, it is very important that we do all we can
to support those who have accepted the challenge. Here is a prayer for fathers.
Our
Father in Heaven, we thank you for all the fathers on earth who,
like St. Joseph, accept the responsibility to care for
and love their children.
May you strengthen them with the kindness, patience and
wisdom they need
to encourage and guide their children.
May they be supported by a steadfast wife, a caring
family and good friends.
Most of all, may they know that you and you alone are the
source of all that is
good and truly valuable in this world.
###
Reading 1. Ezekiel 17: 22-24
Reading II. 2 Corinthians5: 6-10
Gospel. Mark 4: 26-34 (a mustard seed).
No comments:
Post a Comment