There was a woman once who wanted peace in the world and peace in her heart, but she was very frustrated. The world seemed to be falling apart and her personal life wasn’t that great either.
One day she decided to go shopping, and she went to the mall and walked in to one of the stores. She was surprised to see Jesus behind the counter. She knew it was Jesus because he looked just like the paintings she’d seen in museums and in devotional books.
Finally she got up her nerve and asked, “Excuse me, but are you Jesus?”
“I am,” he replied.
“Do you work here?” she asked.
“In a way; I own the store,” he said.
“Oh, what do you sell here?” she inquired.
“Just about everything,” Jesus replied. “Feel free to walk up and down the aisles, make a list, see what it is you want, and then come back and I’ll see what I can do for you.”
Well, she did just that. She walked up and down the aisles, writing furiously. There was peace on earth, no more war, no hunger or poverty. There was peace in families, harmony, no dissension, no more drugs. There careful use of resources. By the time she got back to the counter, she had a long list.
Jesus looked over the list, then smiled at her and said, “No problem.” And then he bent down behind the counter and picked out all sorts of things, and finally stood up, and laid out the packets on the counter.
“What are these?” the woman asked.
“Seed packets,” Jesus answered. “This is a catalog store.”
“You mean I don’t get the finished product?” she inquired.
“No, this is a place of dreams. You come and see what it looks like, and I give you the seeds. You go home and plant the seeds. You water them and nurture them and help them to grow, and someday someone else reaps the benefits.”
“Oh,” she said. And she left the store without buying anything.
Twenty-seven years ago I had a personal experience that taught me the meaning of this parable. I went back to the 50th Anniversary of St. Francis Borgia Parish in Chicago where I had served 20 years previously. Cardinal Francis George greeted me and said, “I didn’t know that you had once served here, Med” I nodded. “No wonder it’s the great parish that it is!” he said. When he said that, I felt like I had watered and nurtured the seeds the Lord had given me while I was there.
Later that evening when I went to the Anniversary reception dinner, a dozen grammar school students that I had taught 20 years previously came up to me and thanked me for the impact I had had on their lives. The best part for me was learning that ALL of them were involved in their parishes and communities. They introduced me to their spouses and told me about their own wonderful families. My head was in the clouds for many months because I had planted the seeds, watered them and nurtured them that Jesus had given me.
What seeds have YOU planted, watered and nurtured that have helped others to reap the benefits?
SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO LET GOD TURN YOU UPSIDE DOWN, SO YOU CAN LEARN TO LIVE RIGHT-SIDE UP!!
I think my A POEM A DAY TO PRAY 2025 will help you find the “seeds” that the Lord has given you. https://treatsforthesoul.org/a-poem-a-day-to-pray/
