11th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)
INTRO: True Story…………….
“Who Knows What It Will Bring to Someone?”
A church held a clothing drive for the poor and homeless. The parish youth group volunteered to sort, fold, and pack the clothes. The kids…as only kids can do…. Made a GAME of it, trying on items that caught their attention creating costumes…clowning around.
Then one of the kids felt a lump in the pocket of a worn cardigan sweater. He reached into the pocket and found a little bundle, opened it, and found a gold wedding ring. On the paper wrapped around the ring was written in a shaky hand:
“I have no need of this now. I hope it will help you.”
Everyone in the room hushed in a reverential silence as they passed the ring and its note all around the room.
Tenderly the ring was refolded inside the note and was securely fastened back inside the pocket of the cardigan sweater and the sweater was packed off with all the other clothing.
“Who Knows What It Will Bring to Someone?”
As you can imagine the surprise of someone who is needy finding the ring and wondering what it can do for them……
But my story is not about finding the ring, but more about PLANTING THE SURPRISE.
Who here has ever planned a surprise birthday party? Why do we do that???
The answer is out of great kindness. We go out of our way to show great kindness and we plan all the exciting things for that special person.
Our Christian behavior is asked to be this way more than just occasionally, but often. Many times, we are to PLANT kindness toward others.
Jesus Christ always did that when he walked this earth…….
He surprised the least among us, lifting them up:
• With a compliment,
• A healing,
• Forgiveness, AND
• Some kind of courteous attention paid.
He planted KINDNESS!!
When the Sower in our Gospel today goes out to plant, he does that with every intention to reap a bountiful harvest, or in other words with every intention to produce some good, to plant good seed into the ground and reap a great harvest.
So, too, it should be with each of us, having every intention to sow or plant kindness towards all our brothers and sisters.
CONCLUSION:
May the real presence of Jesus Christ we consume today help each of us become a good Sower and plant kindness into the lives of people around us.