Day 15
Come, Holy Spirit
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Thy faithful and enkindle in them the fire of Thy love.
V. Send forth Thy Spirit, and they shall be created;
R. And Thou shalt renew the face of the earth. LET US PRAY.
O God, who didst teach the hearts of Thy faithful people by sending them the light of Thy Holy Spirit, grant us
by the same Spirit to have right judgement in all things, and evermore to rejoice in His holy comfort. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen
O Holy Spirit, sweet Guest of my soul, abide in me and grant that I may ever abide in Thee.
How can one help the Father to harvest where He did not sow? The answer lies in the seed. Let us think of our dear Daisy from our story, “A Garden.” Her father gave her several bags of seeds. When those are planted, they can yield a harvest. For example, when lettuce is planted, one can harvest the leaves of the lettuce to eat in a salad. If, however, you leave the lettuce plant, it will send up a tall stalk, will flower, and will make seeds of its own. Many people pull up the lettuce plant before it makes seeds because the leaves of the lettuce plant become bitter once it sends up a stalk and flowers. If the plant is removed, there is only one harvest. If, however, the plant remains and is allowed to produce its own seeds, each seed can yield a new plant. Every seed of the lettuce plant forms what looks like short white hairs. These act as sails.
When the wind blows, the seeds take flight, and the destination is determined by the direction of the wind. The result is that the seed may fall in another person’s yard. It may grow and produce a harvest of its own, such as more lettuce. If the plant is left for the whole season, it can again make its own seeds, and these can be taken by the wind yet farther.
In much the same way, a soul can reap harvests for many years even after it is no longer on earth. One can think of parents. They sow the seeds of love and faith in the hearts of their children. The parents also may use the gifts God has given them to show kindness and love to their neighbor. The effects of this may bring others to do acts of love and kindness and to witness faith in the way they observed it in the original parents. Thus when the original parents are gone, a harvest for the Lord may persist from the original seeds that were given to the parents.
Jesus states, “It was not you who chose Me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in My Name He may give you. This I command you: love one another” (Jn 15:16-17). Thus one can see that the expectation God has is not unreasonable. If we nourish the seeds God gives us with prayer and we do not hide our light under a bushel (cf. Mt 5:15), then in a beautiful way we may play a part in a harvest that will remain.
Goal: The seeds God gives us can yield harvests for many years and have far-reaching effects beyond each of us.
OUR FATHER . . .
10 HAIL MARYS . . .
GLORY BE . . .