The Word of God Planted within Me

“…humbly welcome the Word that has been planted in you and is able to save your soul” (James 1: 21), we read in today’s first reading (James 1: 19-27). When we plant seeds this spring, those seeds, if given the right amount of rain and sunshine and other nutrients, will grow into flowers, vegetables, depending on their DNA, so to speak! The DNA planted within us is the Word of God, Christ Jesus. That seed will grow strong, mature, over time. My whole being will become the being of Christ, as I nurture it, surround it with an environment that supports it, namely, if I do good works, engage in humble service, avoid evil, repent of my sinfulness, spend time reflecting upon the Scriptures, take time to sit at Jesus’ feet in prayer and openness to the Spirit of God, the “Sun” of grace. That seed will grow when I feed it at the Table of the Lord (the Eucharist) and commit my ways to the ways of the Lord. The growth of that seed also depends upon my openness to the healing power of Jesus, which flows in me and through me in each encounter of the day that is graced by love, in the same way that the blind man in today’s Gospel, Mark 8: 22-26., encountered Jesus' love through his friends. In stages, as he trusted the Lord and was ready to be fully healed of his blindness, his eyes were opened, at first to see dimly and indistinctly and then to seeing clearly. May I Lord, be open completely to what you want me to see, what you want me to hear, and to how you want me to love you and trust you this day in all of its events and encounters, in all of its challenges and difficulties, in all of its sorrows and joys. May I allow Your Word to grow strong in me this day and to bear fruit that heals others and myself.