The Kingdom of Heaven is like a seed.

I find that rather disappointing, I was hoping for more.
The path of a seed to harvest requires time, nurturing, faith, and much patience.
So what are our seeds, our life seeds? We are all here because of a seed and nine months of nurturing in utero.
Remember I was a health teacher, and I still am.
We are born after the pain we caused our mothers. Labor, we call it! Then our growth required much from our families and continues to require time, care, patience, and love. The seeds of parenting, and education...remember those grade school days? For most of us, it was Sister whoever, fertilizing us "seeds," watering with wisdom, nurturing our growth, teaching us, and preparing us for our life’s path.
The seeds of life then became our own responsibility, then sprouting and on our journey to harvest. We are still on that path.
We began our life’s mission to nourish other’s seeds along the way. Education played a vital part in our development with the investment of our mentors along the way. Who showed you the path to your harvest? Who nurtured your growth with prayer, and faith, watching your successes and failures?
My seventh and eighth-grade teacher, Sister Regis, H.M. taught us a poem, and I still remember it.
“We can’t all be captains, we’ve got to be crew, there is something for all of us here. If you can’t be a tree at the top of the hill, be a shrub in the alley, the best little shrub on the side of the reel. Be a bush if you can’t be a tree."
Sister was planting our seeds. As I often say, looking over life’s shoulder, in our senior years, our memories allow us reflections on our path, and the seed offerings we had and still do. The gospel of Matthew tells us of the farmer who went out to sow his seed and where they fell, what challenges preceded their growth or demise? Perhaps the enemy who allowed the weeds among the seeds, yet another parable or challenge. Did that ever happen to us?
So here we are, recalling the seeds we sowed, and then nourished. Many of us were teachers when the doors opened up for us to follow the challenges of Vatican II. The opening of pastoral positions that brought new challenges for many of our dear Sisters.
The places to plant seeds developed and blossomed, and widened our missions to sow and nurture, to assist so many others in new roles.
Today, we are now called to new challenges with the Synod, the opportunities with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Pope Francis encourages us, as a Church, to listen, to pray, to question, to be silent, and to reflect, moving to new challenges,
As Dominicans, we were and still are challenged by those seeds of prayer, study, ministry, and community.
Appropriately, my Associates' group chose as our name, “ The Seeds of Peace”
Perhaps with Lent approaching, we can challenge ourselves to sow Peace, and to Be Seeds of Peace.

Click here to view our Lenten Calendar to find some "Seeds of Peace" for the season.