“Seeds scattered and sown, wheat gathered and grown…”
I am sure you are familiar with the song, and if you are anything like me, you will not be able to get the melody out of your head! This past week’s readings, homily, and music led me to some quiet reflection. During this time, I stopped and opened a book I received as gift called Peace Is Every Step, by Thich Nhat Hanh.
I opened to ‘Nourishing Healthy Seeds’. Does God have a sense of humor or what! It is so powerful I want to share it with you as it made me STOP and think.
“Consciousness exists on two levels: as seeds and as manifestations of these seeds. Suppose we have a seed of anger in us. When conditions are favorable, that seed may manifest as a zone of energy called anger. It is burning, and it makes us suffer a lot. It is very difficult for us to be joyful at the moment the seed of anger manifests. Every time a seed has an occasion to manifest itself, it produces new seeds of the same kind. If we are angry for five minutes, new seeds of anger are produced and deposited in the soil of our unconscious mind during those five minutes. That is why we have to be careful in selecting the kind of life we lead and the emotions we express. When I smile, the seeds of smiling and joy have come up. As long as they manifest, new seeds of smiling and joy are planted.” (p.73)
The reflection goes on but I had to stop there. Someone came in while I was reading it and I said ‘sit down, you need to hear this’! We talked about what kind of seeds we were growing and how to keep the positive ones alive and reseeding. To change and grow, one must practice mindful living. We are not perfect and so there are times when we could easily plant seeds of anger, jealousy, complacency, dissension, gossip, or indifference. If we can catch ourselves and move towards a more positive attitude, in a short while we will notice the difference in our way of approaching life.
I hope that this reflection helps you to see what types of seeds you are planting and can help you to produce some more good seeds! Perhaps, like the example of the mustard seed, we will have the largest plants of goodness and positive attitude that we can share with others. With God all things are possible.
Happy planting and reaping what you sow!
Till next week,
Sister Theresita
Featured Image: Sr. Ronald Wlodarczyk in 2017 with the positive results of planting seeds – her tomato plants!
