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Gospel: Matthew 11: 20-24
Jesus began to reproach the towns
where most of his mighty deeds had been done,
since they had not repented.
“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida!
For if the mighty deeds done in your midst
had been done in Tyre and Sidon,
they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes.
But I tell you, it will be more tolerable
for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.
And as for you, Capernaum:
Will you be exalted to heaven?
You will go down to the nether world.
For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Sodom,
it would have remained until this day.
But I tell you, it will be more tolerable
for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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There’s one thing that all parents, grandparents, priests, and ministers of the Gospel have in common: We plant seeds.
Seeds of kindness, hope, wisdom, love, and faith, often in the hearts of younger generations – children and grandchildren.
Sometimes we live to see the fruit of our labor. Other times, we don’t.
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Such was the case for Father Isaac Jogues.
Isaac was a French Jesuit, who was one of the first missionaries to bring the Gospel to the Native Americans in the 1600’s. Four years before he was martyred, Isaac was beaten and tortured so badly that he was already regarded as a “living martyr.”
He spent his ministry in America planting seeds of faith without seeing its fruit.
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Ten years after his death, a girl named Kateri was born in the village where Isaac was killed. Her parents and brother died in a smallpox epidemic when she was four. Raised thereafter by her uncle, Kateri was left nearly blind with scars across her face.
The locals called her, “Tekakwitha,” which meant, “she who bumps into things.”
Throughout her childhood, Kateri listened to other French priests who passed through her village, following in the footsteps of Fr. Isaac Jogues.
Although she said nothing to them as a child, when she turned eighteen, she sought to be baptized. In a village that gave no welcome to Christians, Kateri became a Christian.
After enduring a year of abuse by her relatives for professing her faith, Kateri decided to make a 200-mile journey on foot to a Native and Christian village outside of Montreal.
There she embraced a life of penance, praying for the conversion of her people, accepting Christ as her Spouse.
Almost 350 years later, in 2012, Kateri was canonized as the first Native American Saint.
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While Fr. Isaac Jogues died without ever seeing the fruit of his labor, he reminds us that some of the seeds we plant in life will, in time, bear good fruit.
May we all find a way to plant a seed of faith in a child like Kateri today.
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Image credits: (1) Magnific (2) Instagram (3) Peak Beings Yoga