Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

What Are You Growing?

When I was a child, I loved to work in the garden with my grandmother. Living in Texas gave us the opportunity to grow a fall garden and a spring garden. My favorite question when I saw young plants was “Grandma, what are you growing?”

For those who are enjoying the summer fruits and vegetables of your spring labor, the answer is obvious. You are harvesting cucumbers, tomatoes, beans, squash peppers, cantaloupes, and watermelons.

But it wasn’t always that way. At times, we can’t tell the weeds from the plants that will produce the harvest. Sometimes we don’t even trust that what looks like it isn’t growing, will indeed produce a bounteous harvest.

So it is with us and our spiritual well-being. What are we growing?  What are we growing in our families? At St. Francis? And how are we nurturing the growth? Our readings for this weekend speak of kindness, compassion, mercy, non-judgement, and justice. How are we doing?

What are the “weeds” that stunt growth? Where are the “suckers” and parasites that take away from the natural growth God desires for us? What helps us to know the difference between weeds and fruit-bearers?

One of the songs we will sing is “Many and Great,” written by Ricky Manalo. Look for it on YouTube and listen carefully to the words.  We feed on the voices we hear, the bread and wine that becomes the Body and Blood of Jesus, the call that we hear to grow in our recognition of what God asks of us in our lives, in our families, in our communities, in our world, and in our universe.