July 8
Beloved families of Good Shepherd,
Peace be with you! I hope all of are families are doing well as we reach the midpoint of summer. This weekend I am excited to join an ecumenical Silent Retreat near Owensboro, Kentucky. One of my friends recommended the retreat, mentioning that it centers on the spiritual wisdom of St. Ignatius of Loyola, a 16th-century Spanish priest and founder of the Jesuit religious order. St. Ignatius practiced a deep life of prayer and discovered God’s overflowing, perpetual self-giving love within his soul. St. Ignatius is known for saying, “God is never outdone in generosity.”
In this Sunday’s appointed Gospel reading, Jesus teaches a large crowd of spiritually hungry people using a simple parable about a sower. Jesus says the sower generously scattered seeds on the path, on the rocky ground, on the ground with thorns, and on the ground with good soil. The seeds that fell on good soil yielded an abundant harvest of grain. Then Jesus says, “Let anyone with ears listen!”
When I wonder about this parable of Jesus, what captures my attention and amazement is the sower’s unrestrained scattering of seeds. It appears as though the sower is throwing seeds everywhere with joyful and reckless abandon, even in areas unlikely to yield a return. I wonder if Jesus is teaching us and other spiritually hungry people about the beautiful character of God. I wonder if the extravagant sowing of seeds symbolizes God’s sustaining, self-giving love of all creation and God’s passionate desire for his love to take root in our souls.
Contemplative author Thomas Keating describes his discovery of the magnificent character of God:
“Think of God in a very big way. And if you do, that’s too small! You can’t think of anything more wonderful that this God. And you can’t figure out anything about God without a special grace…God is so marvelously good, there is no word for it. So gentle. So considerate. So kind, so tender—everything marvelous. That is God. And whatever you say is far less than it is. As Paul says, ‘it hasn’t crossed the imagination of any human being what God has prepared for those who love him.’”
One important way parents and caregivers can nurture their children’s faith is to communicate and model the marvelous qualities of God, such as God’s generosity, goodness, kindness, tenderness, and gentleness. In her book Woven: Nurturing a Faith Your Child Doesn’t Have to Heal From, author Meredith Miller says children will be inclined to trust God from an early age when adults emphasize the wonderful qualities of God in the stories of our faith and live out these qualities within their daily family life.
This Sunday is “Music Sunday” during our 10 am children’s chapel. Our Music School teachers, Mr. Justin Felix and Ms. Lily Pearson, will teach some new songs of our faith during a combined chapel time. After chapel, all children are invited to sing these songs at the chancel steps before returning to their parents.
We hope to see you this Sunday!
Many Blessings,
Patty