SPRING is in the air. 

When we step outside and look at the world around us, we notice green buds and fresh blossom on the trees.

We see new growth sprouting from the soil.

Soon we may be sowing seeds.

We nurture the seeds, and then the plants, by feeding and watering them.

We look forward to what they will yield in the coming months.

An American Bishop, Ken Untener, said that through our actions we are constantly planting seeds: “This is what we are about. We plant the seeds that one day will grow. We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise. We lay foundations that will need further development. We provide yeast that produces far beyond our capabilities. We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realising that.

“This enables us to do something, and to do it very well. It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an opportunity for the Lord’s grace to enter and do the rest.

“We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker. We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs. We are prophets of a future not our own.”

The seeds we plant affect those around us and this is true, above all, of those who have responsibilities for the care of children, be they parents, grandparents, teachers, or others. 

It is through and from our actions that children learn and develop.

We may never know how much we influence our children but in this season of fresh beginnings, we should always keep in mind the seeds we are planting. 

ANGELA SHEPHERD
St Peter’s Catholic Church