July 20, 2014
16th Sunday Ordinary Time
We are proclaiming parables of Jesus about “sowing seeds.†We are inclined to interpret “seed†as a metaphor for the Word of God. But by listening attentively and reading the Bible carefully we can also understand the “sowing of seed†as God sowing the People of Israel or the Son of Man sowing the “children of the Kingdom.†We are the seed or grain of wheat planted in the soil of our family, community and society amid weeds and at times in a hostile environment. Yet by God’s grace and forbearance there is a rich harvest beyond human expectation. Two examples of God’s good seed sown in our world are Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati and Malala Yousafai.
Pier was born in Turin Italy on April 6, 1901. His mother was a painter and his father, an agnostic, was founder and editor of the newspaper La Stampa. A handsome and energetic youth, Pier had a passion for sports and mountain climbing. He relished laughter, practical jokes, as well as beauty and art. To the bewilderment of his parents, he developed a vibrant faith. Friends described him as an “an explosion of joy.†He was sent to a Jesuit school where his love for the Eucharist and Our Lady blossomed. He asked permission to receive Holy Communion daily which was rare 100 years ago. In 1918 he began studies in mining engineering at the Royal Polytechnic Institute. He had empathy for miners who toiled in constant danger and misery. Pier immersed himself in political and social issues. He was a member of the St. Vincent de Paul Society and a lay Dominican with an intense prayer life. At the age of 24 Frassati contracted polio from the sick he was caring for. Serene to the end, he died after six days of excruciating pain. His parents were astonished that thousands came to his funeral, most of them poor people whom their son had served. Pier Giorgio Frassati was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1990. His feast day is July 4.
Malala Yousafzai recently celebrated her 17th birthday in Nigeria speaking to parents whose daughters were kidnapped by Boko Haram. She is the Moslem girl shot by the Taliban in Pakistan for speaking out publicly of the rights of girls and women to go to school.
Pier and Malala personify God sowing good seed in our world. They are children of the Kingdom of Heaven and messengers of God to us. We too are planted in a particular time and place. We must ask ourselves: What is God asking me to do? Who am I to become?
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