A motivational speaker once began his talk by asking, “Who was Jim Thorpe’s coach? Who was Albert Einstein’s arithmetic teacher? Who was Billy Graham’s religion teacher in junior high?” His point was that many people become who they are because someone planted seeds of future greatness in them. So who was Albert Einstein’s second grade math teacher? I don’t know, but that person certainly impacted our world. This to me is where today’s readings hits home. What seeds are we planting in the lives of others as we venture through life? We may think that our actions won’t make much difference but they just might. Certain deeds, like certain seeds, have led to great outcomes. When President Abraham Lincoln met Harriet Beecher Stowe, the author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, he said, “So this is the lady who started the big war.”

What “big war” are we seeding? What seeds are we planting in others? Sometimes we fail to grasp why our world is in the shape it is in. We spent hours at work and then wonder why our children have become strangers to us. We carry our prejudices like badges of honor, and then wonder why violence and anger strangle society. We justify our indifference to the less fortunate, yet grumble why so many are on welfare. What we often forget is that our words, actions, and priorities can make a difference by planting the “right seeds” in others, but first, we have to produce them.

The basic lesson in this renowned parable of the sower is this: if what Jesus is telling us doesn’t result in making us better people, then there is something very wrong, not with his teachings, but with us. Just as seeds won’t grow or thrive in certain soils, there is something amiss with the “soil of our hearts” if we are not endeavoring to grow in holiness and goodness.

Like rain sent to nourish budding plants, God offers us help every day, all day, free of charge, even when we don’t deserve it. God enlightens our minds, encourages us to do good, and gives us the grace to avoid sin, or at least tries to.  Such is the message Isaiah leaves us with. God seeks the best for this world but ultimately the outcome is up to us, much like the outcome of any garden we plant. If the garden is well tended, its beauty and harvest will provide a rich feast. On the other hand, a neglected garden provides little more than a bed of weeds. A landscaper once quipped, “If there’s no gardener, then there is no garden!”

So, what is our attitude as we listen to the lessons of Jesus, handed on to us in both scripture and the teachings of our Church? The different soils mentioned by him describe our varied responses from outright rejection to open hearted and enthusiastic acceptance.

I once assembled a thousand piece jigsaw puzzle. The challenge was not in the number of pieces but the absence of any picture to guide me. As I fitted the many pieces together, the picture slowly emerged. I imagine some not so patient people would have quit along the way, while others with too much else to do wouldn’t begin the assembly in the first place. Only those who persist to the end will be greatly satisfied at seeing the whole picture.

The same holds true for our faith. None of us began our faith journey at baptism with a complete awareness of Jesus and his good news. Through prayer and reflection, we come to know and appreciate the whole message of our faith. For those who persist, the harvest, as Jesus says, is bountiful. Others who are not so patient or committed will journey through life with an incomplete picture of Jesus and his message of salvation.

With the parable of the sower, Jesus challenges us to allow the word of God to take root in our hearts so that we in turn may sow the seeds of justice, peace, and reconciliation that our world so ardently yearns for.

Years ago, a reporter asked Boris Yeltsin, the first president of Russia, what gave him the courage to stand firm during the fall of communism in the former Soviet Union. Surprisingly, he credited Lech Walesa, who started the downfall of communism in Poland when he founded the Solidarity movement. When Lech Walesa was asked what inspired him to stand firm, he said it was the civil rights movement in our country, led by Martin Luther King, Jr. When Martin Luther King, Jr. was asked what inspired him, he said it was the courage of one woman, Rosa Parks, who refused to move to the back of the bus one December afternoon in 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama. Could we say that a brave little woman in the south brought about the downfall of communism? Seeds are like that. They have great potential. Likewise, we never know whom we may influence by what we say and do.

Who seeded you? Who put value, meaning, and grace into your life? God bless them for they touched you in a way that moved you to be present in worship with us this day.

Who are you seeding quietly? Perhaps you have no idea but as we leave church today, we can leave with the intention of making a difference. After all, we are told, “The mass is ended, go in peace to love and serve the Lord.” We can leave this space, intent on better living the message of Jesus Christ. When we let his word take root in us, we in turn can plant the seeds of God’s love in others that tomorrow’s world will harvest.  In this way, we can truly love and serve the Lord and one another.

1ST Reading: Zechariah 9: 9-10
2nd Reading: Romans 8:9, 11-13
Gospel: Matthew 11: 25-30

One afternoon, a little boy was playing outdoors. He used his mothers broom as a horse and had a wonderful time until it was starting to get dark. He left the broom on the porch and came back into the house.

As his mother was cleaning the kitchen she noticed that her broom was missing. She asked the little boy where her broom was. She then asked him to go and get it. The little boy informed his mother that he was afraid of the dark and did not want to go out and get that broom.

His mother smiled and said; “The Lord is out there too, do not be afraid.” So the little boy opened the door just a little, poked his head out the small opening and said; “God, if you are out there, could you please hand me the broom?”

Here is a little boy, afraid of the dark. What does he do? After the assurance from his mother that God is out there, even in the dark of night, he opens the door and asks God for help. Without that assurance from his mother I really doubt that he would have even opened the door.

The little boy looked to God for assistance not only to get that broom but also to protect him from the dark of night. Jesus says; “Come to me, all who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest”. In a way, the little boy in our story accepted Jesus’ offer. I really feel that is how he got the strength to get that broom, despite the darkness.

As we go through life we are able to share our joys, our triumphs, our failures, our sorrows, even our fears, with others. It could be a parent, a

2 brother or sister, a spouse, a grandparent, a friend, a co-worker, and even our pastor. The point is that we do not travel this road called life alone. As the little boy experienced, we do not travel this road called faith alone. The boy was burdened with his fear of the dark but he most likely overcame that fear by calling out to God in the darkness, the very place he feared the most.

On the face of it, life is not easy. We all have our fears, our problems in this life. We have our sufferings, our daily worries and anxieties. There are addictions, addictions to drugs, pornography, the internet, addictions for electronic games and even T.V.

We experience times where we deal with the loss of loved ones in death. I cannot imagine the anguish of losing a spouse after being married for decades, or a parent who has lost a child. Yet through all of this, our Lord is offering Himself to us. Jesus says; “come to me all who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.”

So, what is being said here? How are we to understand it? In Jesus’ time there was the stress of the “Law” put on the Jewish people by the Pharisees and Scribes who made the implementation of God’s word a burden. Jesus brought to them the way to live; by loving God and neighbor and how to do that.

Jesus says “Come to Me” and here Jesus speaks with divine wisdom, as the giver of rest and comfort, extending this invitation to all those who are laboring through life.

But the Jews in Jesus’ time were waiting for a king, a savior, one who would lead Israel to military victory over Rome. They were not looking for a lowly and humble savior, riding on the foal of a donkey.

They could not conceive of a suffering savior, who offered Himself as the sacrifice for sinners, yes, you and me included, taking on the burden of sin on Himself, easing our burden.

Jesus is offering us the opportunity to get to know the Father through a companionship, a partnership with him. Jesus goes on to say, “take my yoke, for my yoke is easy and my burden light.” In Jesus’ time a joke was put on the shoulders of cattle so that together they could plow as one.

When Jesus asks you and me to take his yoke, he is offering Himself as our partner, our companion. To take on His yoke is to associate and identify ourselves with him, our destiny with his destiny, our vision with his vision, and our mission with his mission.

It is to know that we are not pulling the yoke alone and by our strength, but together with Jesus and by the strength that comes from the gift he offers each of us through his body and blood in the Eucharist. It is to know that Jesus is not just a teacher who gives us homework but a friend who helps us do it.

In taking on the yoke of Jesus, our trials in life are not taken away. We still will face illness, anxiety, the burdens of human life, however, Jesus will help us and ease our burden by being with us as we move through them.

This frees us to continue Jesus’ work on earth, his mission of spreading the good news of the gospel. We can accomplish this by living our lives in Jesus Christ. Through our actions, words, and deeds do we bring Jesus to others by simple acts of kindness. In the stained glass of some of our windows we can see the corporal works of mercy. Acts of kindness to others they are. Do you know them?

They are to Feed the Hungry, Give drink to the thirsty, shelter the homeless, clothe the naked, visit the captive (prisoners), visit the sick, bury the dead. Another act to continue and that Deacon Bob Huber held so close to his heart, was to protect and defend the basic human dignity for all people through Catholic Social Justice issues.

A writer by the name of Nelson Henderson wrote; “The true meaning of life is to plant a tree under whose shade you do not expect to sit.” This says it all. We do these acts of kindness as Jesus did, for the love of the Father, not expecting a reward or any other

kind of benefit and we do these acts of kindness with humility and grace.

There is another saying that says ” Success in life is not measured by what we leave behind etched in stone, but what is woven in the lives of others.” When we share the yoke of Jesus we become Him in a world that needs the Fathers love so badly. When we share the yoke of Jesus we share in his mission to take care of all our neighbors. When we share the yoke of Jesus we come to know the Father in an intimate way.

When we do this we will not focus on what is missing from our lives but we will see and be grateful for the abundance of God’s gifts present…….allowing us to experience heaven on earth making our lives easier and our burdens light.

While we never literally experienced the exodus, traveling 40 years in the desert, freed from slavery, fed manna in search of the Promised Land, we are on an exodus ourselves.  At baptism, we were figuratively freed from the slavery of sin, invited to embark on a journey to the Promised Land, namely eternal life with God.  Along the way, we too would be fed a food unknown to many, namely the body and blood of Christ, the son of God.

To the outsider, what Jesus has to say in today’s gospel makes little sense, especially to those, like his Jewish listeners, who would take his words literally. “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” He sounds so cannibalistic!

But Jesus isn’t speaking literally.  He tells us, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him…Whoever eats this bread will live forever.” Notice, he made no attempt to soften what he said or correct any potential misunderstandings although he knew that many of his disciples, appalled by his words, would abandon him in protest. His listeners knew this was not another parable, nor was this a slip of the tongue for he repeated his message four more times in this short dialogue.

Undoubtedly, Jesus had given much thought to what he would say at the Last Supper, anticipating that these words would be repeated throughout the world for the rest of time. He didn’t say, “This bread symbolizes my body.” No, Jesus was clear. In no uncertain terms, he said, “The bread I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”

At any given moment, somewhere in this great world of ours, a believer is offering the Eucharist to another believer while saying, “The body of Christ,” and the one receiving the Eucharist responds, “Amen.” Within that short exchange lies a profound mystery that has been witnessed for nearly 2000 years.

So what is your reaction when you hear the words, “Body of Christ?” Do you believe that the consecrated host held up as those words are spoken is no longer bread but is now the body of Christ? This belief, so central to our worship, is called real presence. We recognize the now consecrated bread as his flesh.

There is a fair amount of literature from the days of the early church which shows that everyone who wrote anything about the Eucharist believed in the real presence of Christ in the elements of Holy Communion. Nor was this belief taken lightly for many were persecuted and martyred for believing in this mystery.

Most of us received communion for the first time as a young child. We weren’t inhibited by the need for any explanation of this mystery. We accepted the truth put forth by those whom we trusted who told us that bread and wine, consecrated by a priest, became the body and blood of Jesus Christ. How readily we remain drawn to this article of faith depends on our willingness to ponder that mystery.  Many who did not continue to deepen their understanding of this mystery left the table of the Lord. Their belief in the real presence eventually withered like a dried plant.

Only through eyes of faith can we recognize the real presence of Jesus Christ on the altar.  While I cannot fully explain the mystery, I can offer this insight from Saint Augustine. When we eat ordinary food, we transform the food into us, but when we eat the bread of life, the food transforms us into him.

According to Socrates, one of the great philosophers of ancient times, wisdom begins in ignorance. In other words, we have to acknowledge how little we know. The same is true for faith.  We have to keep in mind that we are on a faith journey, each step potentially bringing us closer to God.  Augustine and Socrates are both speaking of conversion as an ongoing experience, a life long process, not a one time event.

Real presence is a tough concept for many people to accept yet I suspect that those who don’t are limiting what God can do in human terms. Had Jesus not risen from the dead, I imagine the words of the Last Supper would not have been taken literally, but when the disciples witnessed the risen Lord, they discovered that God can and does do more than we will ever fully realize. If God can raise his son from the dead, why couldn’t God transform our gifts of bread and wine into the body and blood of his son, even though what we see still appears to be bread and wine?

As some of you know, I gave up meat for lent, endeavoring to be a vegetarian at least when cooking for myself. Little did I know that because I wasn’t eating a sufficient amount of protein, I was slowly malnourishing my body. Last week at Priest Days, the health coach spoke of vital amino acids, available only from proteins, as being vital to one’s physical health. A well balanced diet is called that for good reason.

Likewise, one needs a well balanced “spiritual” diet if we are to draw close to God.  We find God in countless ways through nature, prayer, acts of love, spiritual reading, a faith community, and as Paul pointed out, participation in the body of Christ, which comes from partaking of the Eucharist. God provides us with much needed nourishment which we cannot do ourselves.

The Eucharist, like any meal, invites intimacy. As you receive communion today, respond with conviction and enthusiasm as a testimony that you do believe that what you are receiving is the Christ, the living bread, whose death on the cross enables us to remain free from sin and experience God’s love and forgiveness. On your journey through the desert of life toward the Promised Land, think of the Eucharist as God’s chance to feed you and sustain you.

The prophet, Joel, quotes the Lord as saying, “I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh…I will work wonders in the heavens and the earth.” And he certainly has. On the first Easter, Jesus said to his disciples, “Receive the Holy Spirit,” and so they did 50 days later on Pentecost. And we did too when we were baptized and confirmed. Pentecost is our opportunity to celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Throughout the Easter season, we were reminded that the disciples were filled with both faith and fear. The church was a product of their struggle, crisis, disagreements and the gift of the Holy Spirit. On the first Pentecost, the disciples announced the good news of salvation “in different tongues as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.” The Church emerged on that day and has weathered the test of time, surviving many trials and tribulations to the present day.

Like the first disciples, we bring our fears and our faith, along with our own struggles and disagreements to the Lord. No generation of disciples has come to the Lord as perfect people, full of faith and lacking fear. That same spirit which touched the disciples continues to breathe throughout our Church today, 2000 years later, giving life and direction to our mission and ministry to preach the gospel in every corner of the world, proclaiming a message of forgiveness and hope.

What many Catholics don’t realize is that the mission of the disciples is also their mission. “Who me?” you might ask. “Yes you,” the Lord would say. “But I’m too shy,” you reply. “My faith is a private matter between God and me. I’m not that smart!” If that is your excuse, then you aren’t seeing the role God has in mind for you.

Anyone who is hesitant to follow in the footsteps of the disciples might appreciate this analogy. For the mechanically challenged among us, the three most terrifying words in the English language are some assembly required. Given the choice, some of us would rather buy the product already assembled but sometimes that isn’t an option.

Some things like jig saw puzzles have to be assembled. When all the pieces snap in place, we feel a great sense of accomplishment. The assembly process may have been more challenging than we expected and we may have experienced a level of frustration and anguish along the way but when everything came together we were delighted with the outcome.

I have assembled numerous things including furniture and toys since the summer of 1960 when I put together my first model airplane. Sometimes the effort ended in disaster, not because I lacked the necessary skills, but because a piece was damaged beyond repair or I gave up instead of persisting. Fortunately, Jesus is much more patient with building the Church than I was with building certain models!

Paul in his letter to the Corinthians points out that we are not meant to be a scattered bunch of self-reliant individuals, intent on living apart from God or others who share the same faith in Jesus Christ. Instead, as a community of believers, we have been empowered by the Holy Spirit to make God’s will our will and to make His will evident to others by what we say and do in our daily lives. With the gifts of the Holy Spirit, which include wisdom, understanding, piety, knowledge and fortitude, we have been transformed so that we may bring an awareness of God’s presence and will into our broken world.

A vibrant faith community depends on its many members pooling together their talents and treasures to instill life in the parish.  Like the parts that make up an assembled product, they are all essential to enabling the parish community to achieve its fullest potential. In other words, your participation in the life of your parish is vital. God is counting on everyone present to do his or her part in proclaiming the good news of salvation.

Don’t presume that the Church is just a weekend assembly. We who gather to celebrate Mass are “church” the other six days of the week. The church becomes authentic when we who gather for worship strive to live the gospel message when we leave this gathering. By finding God in the everyday market places, homes and neighborhoods, we become a living church, drawing inner strength from the Holy Spirit as the disciples did with their fellow believers whenever they celebrated the sacraments, especially Eucharist.

The power of the Spirit worked wonders in and through the lives of the first disciples. The power of the Spirit has worked wonders in and through the lives of believers down through the ages. The spirit called me 25 years ago to be ordained a priest. Likewise, the Lord has poured his Spirit upon you. You are also being called to do your part in building up God’s kingdom with your time, treasure and talents. Have you wondered what would happen if each and every one of us did more than just come to Mass?

Like the wind, you cannot predict where the Holy Spirit will move. In Hebrew, his name is ruah, which means, “breath,” a reminder that the Spirit can be a gentle breeze or a “driving wind.” The Spirit has moved the lives of countless people in unexpected ways. Perhaps the same could be said of you. Imagine what wonders the spirit can work in and through you.

There is an ancient traditional story about the last days of St. John the evangelist, who lived longer than any of the other apostles. He became so feeble that he had to be carried to the meetings of the faith community. Due to his health, John wasn’t able to say much but because he had personally known Jesus, the people always insisted that he say something. Each time, he would say the same thing, “Love one another.” Weary of hearing this advice all the time, his disciples asked him why he never said anything else. In reply, John told them, “This alone is good advice.”

“Love one another” summarizes well the message of John’s gospel. His advice sounds so simple but deep down we know this isn’t easy advice to follow or the world we live in would be very different from what we see.

The gospel passage we hear today is part of the farewell discourse Jesus gave to his disciples at the last supper. His final piece of advice, you might say. Quite simply, he is telling them, “If you love me, obey my commandments.”

But what are these commandments? I do not recall any scene in the gospels where Jesus specifically talks about the Ten Commandments, but we repeatedly find instances which reveal the commandments he is talking about.

Having been very critical of their legalisms, Jesus was not interested in creating a new generation of Pharisees. The commandments he gives are intended to provide a whole new set of values and attitudes toward God, toward others, and toward life itself. If we claim to love Jesus, then we must look at these essentials do’s and don’ts. Imagine then what Jesus would tell us if he were to give us a recap of all that he had shared with his apostles during his earthly ministry.

Don’t return evil for evil. Nothing is achieved through retaliation. Don’t judge your neighbors. No one but God knows all the facts in any case, so leave the judgments to God.

Don’t condemn your neighbors. If we shouldn’t judge them, we shouldn’t pass sentence on them either.

Don’t worry about food, clothes, and shelter as if these were the most important things in life. They will fall into place if you honestly make your relationship with God, not materialism, your first concern.

Likewise, don’t store up treasures for yourselves here on earth. Money, property, and goods can be a hindrance in any relationship, especially your relationship with God.

Don’t give up hope when times are rough and friends can’t be found. Keep on trusting in me and in my Father. Remember, you are loved and that should be enough for you.

Let’s not overlook the do’s, they are as important as the don’ts. Let your light shine before others. If your deeds are good, don’t hide them or apologize for them.

Love your enemies, not just your friends and family because that is easy enough for most anyone to do. To practice kindness toward those you do not like or who have been unkind to you is hard, but that is what true love is all about.

Give to those in need and you will receive abundantly. The name of the game today seems to be “gimme, gimme, gimme,” but that is simply another name for selfishness, which is the death of love.

Forgive anyone who sins against you. Not just in words, but from the heart as well. If you forgive them, then be assured that your heavenly Father has forgiven you.

Take care that your heart and mind are clean and pure. That way, everything that comes from them: your thoughts, your words, your deeds will be clean and pure.

Take this bread and eat it. Take this cup and drink from it. Do this in memory of me. In the Eucharist, you will find the nourishment you need to live as my disciple. Finally, love one another as I have loved you. If you do this, then I know that you indeed do love me.

Actions speak louder than words, so would Jesus see a difference between what you claim to be doing and what you are actually doing? Do you treat the people in you life with respect or abuse? Would you treat Jesus in the manner you treat them? Do you even respect yourself? If not, why not? After all, you are made in the image of God.

Far from saddling us with numerous legalisms, Jesus provides us with sound guidelines for healthy living yet some of us tend to ignore much of what he has to say. The consequence of our reluctance to listen to him is evident by all the woundedness that surrounds us. We cannot honestly consider ourselves to be faithful disciples unless we are really putting into practice his commandment to love one another.

The question we really need to ask ourselves is this: “If I were accused of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict me?” I hope that question leaves you feeling a bit uneasy. Otherwise, the jury might find you innocent of the charge.