From today’s Scripture: “The seed is the word of God, Christ is the sower; all who come to him will live forever.” — Gospel Canticle Luke 8:11

My mom grew up on a family farm in Northwest Iowa. She spoke often of the role faith played in their life as a family closely tied to agriculture and the glory of God’s creation. Her parents encouraged each of the five children to pray every night, and they were usually praying about the weather, the farm, or the needs of the local community — pray for rain, pray for a good harvest, pray for the neighbors who lost their barn in a fire, and so on. There was always something or someone to pray for. Generations of the family had encountered significant difficulties — the early loss of a mother, the Great Depression, and being taken advantage of in business due to language barriers, to name a few. But their faith was seemingly unshakeable. The seed that cultivated faith in their hearts was the Word of God, they knew Christ the Sower, and they had full confidence in the gift of eternal life. My mom’s father often quoted a favorite saying that spoke to the depth of his faith — “When Gabriel blows his horn, I’m gonna be there.”

Let us pray: Dear God, creator of all things, help me to cultivate my faith and remain rooted in your Word as I await the gift of everlasting life.

Today’s author is Julia Sauter, a member of Glenmary’s Development team. She holds a master’s degree in Ethics and Social Theory from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California.

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