Don Bosco Philippines South Province

Homily on Saturday, 24th Week in OT, Memorial of St Padre Pio, 23 Sept 2023

Have you ever tried planting rice? When I was assigned in Dumangas, Iloilo more than 20 years ago I had a chance to join our boys in planting rice at the back of our compound. At the beginning I felt it was fun, but later on I found it very tiring and challenging because of the need to bend down facing the muddy water to be able to plant the rice sprouts on a straight line. And since I was just a beginner I was eventually left behind by all the rest of our boys many of whom were already experts in planting rice. They actually do that work three times a year.

From hindsight I can say I was happy with my first experience; I learned many things, among them the importance of focus, stamina and perseverance. But I also realized that preparing the ground was as important as the task of planting itself. The most consoling part of the whole experience came after three months when I joined them also in harvesting the fruits of our labor. I truly felt the farmer’s extraordinary joy of being blessed with an abundant harvest.

In the time of Jesus farmers had a very different experience of planting wheat. There was no ground preparation; it was only after the seeds have been sown that the ground would be ploughed so that the soil could cover the seeds and enable them to grow. And that is why in those times there seemed to be so much wastage in planting. Those seeds that fell on the foot path, on the rocks or among thorny bushes were sure to have zero yield while only those that fell on rich soil were sure to grow healthy and yield abundant grain.

We have been walking with Jesus through our participation in this daily Mass. And we are so privileged to hear God’s Word everyday. We are in fact at the end of the third week that we have been reading from the Gospel of St. Luke in our weekday Masses. In other words every day God has been planting the seeds of his Word in our hearts, and not only one seed but lavishly many. But the question is: how open are we in receiving his Word? After all this time of attending daily Mass, how deep has his Word taken root in our hearts? And how much have we really done to make it bear fruit in our lives?

This I guess is what Jesus wants his disciples to realize when he narrated this parable. His main point is not really the manner of planting seeds, but rather the quality of ground that receives the seeds that are sown. Like any farmer during his time the Lord continues to scatter and sow the seeds of God’s Word randomly to everyone who attends the daily liturgy of the Church. But the fruitfulness would really depend on the openness, disposition and docility of each one of us. And if during the day we try to spend some quiet moments to reflect and meditate on God’s Word, surely in due time, we will see its power and its effect working fruitfully in our lives.

Today we are blessed to celebrate the memorial of someone who allowed God’s Word to take root in his heart and become fruitful in his life. He is St. Padre Pio, a zealous Italian priest and Capuchin Friar. As early as five years old Padre Pio already wanted to devote his entire life for God. He was born to a very catholic family and grew up actively serving at Mass as an altar server. One day after listening to an impressive talk given by a young Capuchin Friar in their town, he got inspired to enter the Capuchin Friary. So at 15 years old he left the comfort of his home and became a novice.

Despite the many obstacles and trials he met along the way, he persevered in his vocation and soon became a priest. He exercised his priestly ministry with a heart, passionately in love with God and burning with zeal for souls. What is amazing about him is that at age 31, he received on his hands, on his feet and on his side the Lord’s stigmata which he quietly endured in union with Christ’s passion. And despite undergoing many more sufferings and trials coming even from Church authorities Padre Pio did not give up serving the Lord and the Church. On the contrary, he generously and selflessly dedicated his life to God for the good of the people esp. the sick, the penitent sinners and the needy. In fact in 1956 he had a big hospital built for the poorest of the poor in a town called San Giovanni Rotondo (Italy). Padre Pio died in 1968 at 81 years old after having suffered the pain of the stigmata for 50 long years. He was canonized a saint by Pope St John Paul II in 2002. Today he is being venerated in almost all parts of the world for his extraordinary holiness of life and the amazing miracles God performed through him.

May this Eucharist we celebrate today lead us to be more and more open and docile in hearing God’s Word and putting it into practice day by day. GiGsss!

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