Remnants and small deeds bear fruit

Today people in this community pause to think about fathers. The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary resonate with attitude appropriate for fathers. Friar Jude Winkler tells us the text from Ezekiel uses agricultural imagery. God will plant rulers who maintain their Covenant with God to prosper and lead a community which witnesses to the Will of God as a gathering place for all peoples to come to know the Lord. The maintenance of our relationship with God requires faith. The trust in the mystery that Paul opens to the Corinthians that as we walk confidently in faith in our daily life aiming to please God, we are building up a body of good which will help transform our world. Our human frailty seeks some affirmation that we are making a difference. We may need to step back and review the "coincidences" which occur in our lives and the lives of those we observe around us. My friend is a great husband, father and teacher. He is slowly recovering from a serious medical setback. In his example of living daily, very simply, faithfully in touch with God, He is radiating the theme of the texts today. The lives of those who encounter him are being gradually transformed. The fear and anxiety that Father Larry Gillick SJ tells us is human and accompanies change is truly overcome by trust in Providence. The Will of God is the community where Love is King and all the birds (tribes, cultures, families) are invited to shelter in the large branches built by faith. The smallest seed, planted through love of the other, yields transforming good in ways often unseen by the giver. The Mystery of the how and why lead us to thanksgiving for fathers and Fatherly care.