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As I looked over today\u2019s readings, more specifically as I read the first reading, a drop of water fell on my hand.<\/p>\n
I would\u2019ve thought nothing of it had I been sitting on a park bench in the city, or had I been sitting by a pool somewhere where I could\u2019ve been splashed. \u00a0But I was sitting indoors, at a table. \u00a0I immediately looked up and saw there was water dripping from the air conditioning vent on top of me.<\/p>\n
Here I was, reading about rain from the heavens coming down, and suddenly a drop of water fell on me. \u00a0Perhaps God is making a point? \u00a0I thought. \u00a0What is the point?<\/p>\n
In God\u2019s mind, nothing is ever a coincidence. \u00a0 \u00a0There is always purpose, a reason, behind his actions. \u00a0From the never-ending master work of creation to the gentle nudging each one of us feels in daily life, God is at work.<\/p>\n
God is not sitting on a cloud in a galaxy far, far away, with nothing to do, where out of boredom he decides to do something in his creation. \u00a0It\u2019s quite the opposite. \u00a0God is engaged, actively seeking us and guiding us.<\/p>\n
Like rain and snow that come down from heaven and fall on all of creation equally, transforming what is parched and dead into life, so does God\u2019s Word come down from heaven, falling on all creation, transforming our parched hearts into hearts that are alive.<\/p>\n
God, through the prophet Isaiah, states that His Word will not return to Him void, but will achieve the end for which it was sent. \u00a0Rain and snow return to the heavens after having moistened the earth and given it life, they return through the process of evaporation and condensation that we all learned when we were in third grade. \u00a0They return to the clouds after always having fulfilled their mission. \u00a0If rain and snow always fulfill their purpose, how much more will God\u2019s Word fulfill its purpose when it descends into our hearts!<\/p>\n
Consider the sower of the parable: he sows freely, sowing quality seed without any cost and without discriminating according to the type of soil. \u00a0The seed is spread far and wide, on good soil and bad soil, on the path and among thorns.<\/p>\n
The seed the sower sows is excellent seed, ready to grow. \u00a0The success of the seed does not depend on the sower, it depends entirely on preparedness of the ground. \u00a0The rocky ground cannot blame the sower for planting bad seed, the rocky ground can only blame itself for not being well prepared.<\/p>\n
God gives us only good things, just like the sower only sows good seed. \u00a0Our infinitely good God cannot sow defective or evil seed in our lives. \u00a0God freely showers us with his grace, which is a love freely given, a love offered without the expectation of something in return.<\/p>\n
He sows his Word in those who receive it well, and in those who don\u2019t.<\/p>\n
He offers salvation to those who will respond, and to those who will turn away.<\/p>\n
It is up to each one of us to take care of the good seed God has planted in our souls. \u00a0 This seed is present in every single human being, it is present in you. \u00a0What do you do to keep the soil of your soul rich? \u00a0What do you do daily, so that the seed God has planted may bear fruit and yield a hundred or sixty or thirty-fold? \u00a0Remember, the seed is good; it all depends on how we take care of the soil where it\u2019s planted.<\/p>\n
So returning to my initial story: the drop of water that fell right on my hand. \u00a0What did that mean?
It was a tangible reminder for me of the daily grace that God freely showers upon us. \u00a0It was a reminder of the mercy and salvation he so desperately offers us. <\/p>\n
He offers them in the most unexpected ways (as unexpected as a drop of water coming down on me while sitting indoors) and He does it for a reason (the drop of water inspired my homily today).<\/p>\n
We pray to Our Merciful Father today that as His spirit comes down upon us, showering us all with his mercy and grace, his action in our souls during this Mass may not return to him void. \u00a0May His Word and the Flesh of His Son, transform us, refresh us and give us new life. <\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
As I looked over today\u2019s readings, more specifically as I read the first reading, a drop of water fell on my hand. I would\u2019ve thought nothing of it had I been sitting on a park bench in the city, or had I been sitting by a pool somewhere where I could\u2019ve been splashed. \u00a0But I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2533,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-120","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n
Good Seed Planted<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"As I looked over today\u2019s readings, more specifically as I read the first reading, a drop of water fell on my hand.I would\u2019ve thought nothing of it had I\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/2014\/07\/good-seed-planted.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Good Seed Planted\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"As I looked over today\u2019s readings, more specifically as I read the first reading, a drop of water fell on my hand.I would\u2019ve thought nothing of it had I\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/2014\/07\/good-seed-planted.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Labyrinthine Mind\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-07-13T11:36:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Father Pablo Migone\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Father Pablo Migone\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/2014\/07\/good-seed-planted.html\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/2014\/07\/good-seed-planted.html\",\"name\":\"Good Seed Planted\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2014-07-13T11:36:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2014-07-13T11:36:00+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/#\/schema\/person\/35ce8464416a4368561caf8ed8c2ba1b\"},\"description\":\"As I looked over today\u2019s readings, more specifically as I read the first reading, a drop of water fell on my hand.I would\u2019ve thought nothing of it had I\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/2014\/07\/good-seed-planted.html#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/2014\/07\/good-seed-planted.html\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/2014\/07\/good-seed-planted.html#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Good Seed Planted\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/\",\"name\":\"Labyrinthine Mind\",\"description\":\"Seeking God in the labyrinth\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/#\/schema\/person\/35ce8464416a4368561caf8ed8c2ba1b\",\"name\":\"Father Pablo Migone\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/labmind\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/305296c2dd82f71369f8808eb07ace26?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/305296c2dd82f71369f8808eb07ace26?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Father Pablo Migone\"},\"description\":\"Born in Lima, Peru and raised in Augusta, Georgia, Father Pablo Migone was ordained a Roman Catholic priest in 2009 after studying at the Pontifical North American College and earning a Masters in Dogmatic Theology at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas in Rome, Italy. 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