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Gospel: Matthew 13: 16-17
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Blessed are your eyes, because they see,
and your ears, because they hear.
Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people
longed to see what you see but did not see it,
and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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I received my first bible when I was thirteen.
“You’re a teenager now,” my grandmother said to me. “Half-way to being all grown up! It’s time for you to start reading the bible. Start with the Gospels: there’s Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John!”
It seemed like such a simple fact; there are four Gospels and my grandmother knew each of them by name. But I had never heard of Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John before. I wondered if God existed, but had no idea then that he’d spoken to humanity in the bible.
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It was the most ordinary of moments – receiving my first bible – but my grandmother planted a seed in my heart that later blossomed into faith.
When I was sixteen, I read that bible from cover to cover. And so began my journey with Jesus.
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Today we celebrate the feast of Saints Anne and Joachim, Jesus’ grandparents.
I wonder what kind of seeds they planted in his heart; what they taught him about the world; or what lessons he learned from their lived experience. He may have rejoiced in the smallest things they said or did.
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And, by extension, I wonder what kind of seeds so many of you – grandparents, great aunts and uncles – have planted in the hearts of your grandchildren.
If my life is any example, then remember this: nothing is ordinary in the mind of a child.
Children have a unique sense of awe; they lean on adults – especially their grandparents – for guidance as they go, in my grandmother’s words, “From half-way to all grown up!”
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May we all plant a seed in a young person’s heart today. And through the intercession of Saints Anne and Joachim, in time may it bear good fruit.
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Image credits: (1) For Your Marriage (2) St. Anne’s Catholic Church (3) Rainy Day Mum