SATURDAY, CHRISTMASTIDE
1 Jn 3: 7-10 Ps 98: 1, 7-9 Jn 1: 35-42
NURTURING THE DIVINE SEED WITHIN US
Choosing the right seed for sowing is the first step in reaping a healthy crop. A good seed sown in fertile soil, with proper care, will surely yield a good harvest. Therefore, a farmer invests time in selecting quality seeds before the cultivation season begins. Alongside selecting the seed, nurturing it is equally important. With fertile soil, timely manure, fresh water, and protection from pests, the seed will grow into a fruitful crop.
“The seed of God abides in us.” This proclamation in today’s first reading invites us to understand the meaning of “the seed of God.” In the book of Genesis, we read, “God created humankind in His image and likeness… He breathed into the nostrils of humanity the breath of life” (Gen 1:26-27; 2:7). If we are created in God’s image, then we resemble Him; if His breath is in us, we live in Him. God, therefore, is our original seed. This original seed, lost through sin, was restored through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Every Christian baptized in the name of Jesus resembles God in Christ, the first seed of God. In Him, we are reborn and possess the same seed that He has restored to us. Since the seed of God dwells within us, there is a deep thirst for God in our hearts. The Gospel today reveals this thirst through the disciples’ question, “Master, where are you staying?” The Gospel concludes with the words, “They came, they saw, and they stayed with Him.” In other words, the seed of God within us is made to bear good fruit through our abiding in His love. It is in this mutual abiding that the seed is nurtured and bears abundant fruit.
St. Teresa of Avila would add that if we nurture the seed of God’s love within us with prayer and the manure of good virtues, we will steadily grow in His likeness, bearing fruit in His image. By living in communion with Him, we will bear abundant fruit and become more like Christ.
Response: All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
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