Presider: Fr. Patrick Heppe
Parish: Catholic Community of Waukesha
Choir: Heart of the Nation
TEXT FROM THE HOMILY
I have farm background that's why the scripture readings touched my heart today. My dad and my mom were farmers. My grandfather was a farmer and not only were they farmers but they enjoyed gardening as well. Grandpa, and Grandma had a big garden at the cottage and at the farm. My mom and dad had a big garden as well, you know carrots and beets, and beans and all those things that went with it and of course occasionally, I had to help with the hoeing and the planting and things like that. And for those with gardening background, even if you're just doing houseplants, you have some insight into how important God's work is in our midst. The first reading talked in terms of the book of the prophet Isaiah, the importance of the word of God. The word of God is planted in our midst and God expects it to grow. God's word is strong and powerful. God's word grows. The same thing is true with the gospel reading that we hear from Jesus today. He talks about the seeds that are planted and anybody that has done garden work knows that if you're planting seeds you expect them to grow! And if they're not growing well enough you need to make sure they're tended with the proper fertilizer, maybe watering, whatever tlc they happen to use or whatever they need to grow. The same thing is true with God's word that is planted in our hearts and in our lives. Jesus, the master gardener, showed us how important the seeds of love and justice and peace and compassion all are. And Jesus, the master gardener, teaches us how to tend those seeds and each and every one of us is called to be a person that tends those seeds. Those are God's seeds. Those are God's things that God has planted in our midst. And he sent his son Jesus, the master gardener, to teach us exactly how to take care of those and that's our task. God has planted in our hearts gifts of faith and love and justice and hope and God asks us to tend them and, as I mentioned in the beginning, so often because of our selfishness and sinfulness we sometimes stifle the growth but if we truly follow in the example of the master gardener, if we truly follow in the footsteps of Jesus, those seeds will continue to grow and they'll grow strong. And our job is to make sure they grow strong in our own lives and our job is to help them to grow strong in the lives of others. Now maybe you're not getting out much, maybe you're shut in your home or wherever you happen to be but I'm sure you have contact with a few people. Be it telephone, or a wave out the window, we help one another to grow the seeds that God has planted in our hearts and we do that in special unique ways. In a conversation sometimes in our lives of prayer, reading the scripture passages, whatever they happen to be, we are people who tend the seeds and help them grow strong and we help one another in that tending process as well. So when a good conversation comes up, don't be afraid to talk about your faith. Use a symbol if you need. Maybe a holy card that you happen to have that someone sees, maybe it's a crucifix or a statue that's hanging in your house or in your room, those are all conversation starters. Yes, they are ways of helping us keep our faith but they're also conversation starters that help us to tend and nurture the seeds of faith that God has planted in our midst.
Entrance: Joyful, Joyful We adore You
Text: Henry van Dyke, 1852-1933, alt.
Tune: HYMN TO JOY 8 7 8 7 D; arr. From Ludwig van Beethoven, 1770-1827, by Edward Hodges, 1796-1867
Psalm 65: The Seed that Falls on Good Ground
Psalm verses Copyright © 2010 Conception Abbey/The Grail, admin. By GIA Publications, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Preparation: Vine and Branches
Text: Based on John 6:35-63; 13:14-15; 15:1-13; Trevor Thomson, b. 1971
Music: Trevor Thomson; arr. By Rick Modlin, b. 1966
Text and music © 2012, 2013, Trevor Thomson. Published by Spirit & Song, a division of OCP. All rights reserved.
Communion: Unless A Grain of Wheat
Text: John 12:24; Bernadette Farrell, b. 1957
Tune: Bernadette Farrell, b. 1957
© 1983, Bernadette Farrell. Published by OCP
Sending Forth: We Belong to You
Text © 2006, Victoria Thomson. Music ©2006 Trevor Thomson. Published by spiritandsong.com, a division of OCP. All rights reserved.
Mass Setting: Mass of Renewal
Text © 2010, ICEL. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
Music: Mass of Renewal; Curtis Stephan, b. 1973; choral arr. by Curtis Stephan and Rick Modlin, b. 1966, © 2009, Curtis Stephan.
Published by OCP. All rights reserved.
Permission to podcast/stream the music in this liturgy obtained from ONE LICENSE, License No. A-718591.
www.HeartoftheNation.org
