Living the Gospel Today 
January 27, 2012
After successfully de-cluttering her schedule one semester, my friend Andi answered a request to become a stand-in dog-walker for a man named Ron. The phone call Andi made to make arrangements ended with Ron gruffly ordering her to meet him down by the river the next day. Skeptical, Andi dragged a friend along downtown where she met a very grouchy old man.
A week of dog-walking without pay showed Andi that Ron was looking for a friend, not a dog-walker. Over card games and “taco Tuesdays”, a deep relationship began to form. Slowly Ron opened up to Andi, sharing his stories of struggle and loss. Andi’s companionship provided the space for Ron to try praying again, and her deep faith invited him to renew his own. Over time, Ron mended relationships with God and his family that had been broken for decades. “Grandpa Ron”, as he became known, died peacefully with Andi by his side just before Christmas.
When Andi responded to the dog-walking request, she had no idea what God had planned, but the seeds she planted in Grandpa Ron’s life bore great fruit. In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us that we don’t always know how God works through the seeds we plant, and also that huge growth can come from small seeds. The impact we have on others, both positive and negative, often stems from small words and actions that we don’t even notice. How can we be more intentional with the seeds we plant around us each day?
Michelle Byrne, ND ’09
Gospel Reading of the Day January 27, 2012
Jesus said to the crowds, The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle, because the harvest has come.
He also said, With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.
With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it; he did not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything in private to his disciples. (Mk 4:26-34)
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
Today's Prayer January 27, 2012
Almighty and Eternal God, your work is often hidden from our sight and your ways remain mysterious to us. Help us to trust your Providence, your saving plan, and to be patient as we await the fullness of the Kingdom begun in Jesus, your Son and our Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Monsignor Michael Heintz, Ph.D., Director of the Master of Divinity Program in the Theology Department and Rector of Saint Matthew Cathedral in South Bend, Indiana.
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