The Diary of the 137th Annual Novena to St. Anne
St. Anne Shrine – Fiskdale
Administrated by the Assumptionist
Father Cleber de Paula from Saint Joseph and Saint Stephen Parish in Worcester was the main celebrant for the night’s Brazilian Community. He was joined by an Assumptionist, Father Ronald Sibugan, A.A. The Glorious Mysteries were said in English by a Lay Assumptionist, and in Portuguese by a member of Father de Paula’s Parish.
Tonight the readings were in English, but there were paper copies available in Portuguese. The music lyrics were available in Portuguese for the congregation.
Father de Paula reflected on today’s Gospel, Matthew 13:1-9. He called on those assembled to reflect on the parable and how it has meaning for our lives today. The seed is the Word of God. We are each different soils, sewn in different means according to our own heart. This is especially true during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. The seed of the Word is also in all of the Sacraments of the Church because the Word must be proclaimed.
When we read and reflect on the Bible, when we watch Mass on television, when we listen to a religious program on the radio, or even go to social media, we can be nourished. God spreads his Word to our hearts in many ways, and produces the fruits in our lives and in our communities.
Our soil needs to be ready, to welcome, to understand, and to allow the Word of God to enter our hearts. When we are focused on ourselves and our own concerns, we don’t leave enough room for that Word to work in our lives. We should strive to empty our mind of other concerns, and ask God what he is telling us through his Word for that day.
We dialogue with God through the words in the Bible. We need to put aside other concerns to transform our lives. That is best done when we have time alone with God.
God distributes his seeds to everyone, because God wants to reach all of His children. We need to spread God’s Word, not expecting a particular outcome. A person might not hear us, but we can plant the seed that God can use to transform them later. Our part is to be that prophet, to spread His Word. We can trust that God’s grace will reach them.
Finally, each one of us has a responsibility to remove the stones and sticks that hinder our conversion and reaching a newness of life. We can live according to God’s values because God is willing to produce what we need for our own conversions.
We all need these fruits to get to the Kingdom of Heaven.
