Dear Christian, you and I should grow!
June 14,2015 - Third Sunday of Ordinary Time
Theme: Steadfastly Growing
First Reading: Ezekiel 31:1-6,10-14
Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:1-10
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 92:1-4; 12-15
Gospel Reading: Mark 4:26-34
Homily by: Dcn. Yuri Mascarinas
"A church grows as its individual members grow."
When I did some extra reading on growing as a Christian, I came upon that quote. With everything happening in our local church this year, I could not help but agree. It may be slow, even unnoticeable at first, but the moment its members start desiring to grow in their personal, spiritual lives, the Body of Christ - the Church, grows as well.
In today's homily, the message of Dcn. Yuri was this: "As we yield to God's word being sown and planted in our lives, we become His church that brings light, comfort and peace to the world."
He then proceeded to say that God has invested in us individually and corporately as a church. We cannot deny that our individual relationships with God affects the whole. We are ONE BODY, as we learned from Corpus Christi Sunday. Thus, as ONE BODY, we should learn to be united and grow TOGETHER.
But before we get there, let us first try to understand the stages we undergo when we change. As shared by the good deacon earlier, this is based on today's Gospel reading - specifically on Mark 4:26-29.
3 STAGES IN ONE'S CHRISTIAN GROWTH
Stage 1: "First, a leaf blade pushes through"
When a seed is planted, life starts. Growth is manifested the moment the first leaf blade pushes through. This happens when God touches the life of a person. When God touches our life, we slowly begin to see how God sees things. This is what we now call the Born Again Experience. When we are born again, despite our physical age, we become Baby Christians.
Stage 2: "Then the heads of the wheat are formed"
Growth only comes from the Lord. God is the One that strengthens the whole being of man. By being, we mean spirit, soul and body! This is when we are transformed from the top of our head to the soles of our feet. This happens as our faith grows. And for it to grow, Romans 10:17 tells us that "Faith comes from hearing, that is hearing the Word of God." More on that later.
Stage 3: "Finally the grain ripens."
When the grain ripens, it is now ready for harvest. This is when we are already mature Christians. What is a mature Christian? Ephesians 4:13-15 says that being a mature Christian is 1.) When we come to such unity with the Body of Christ in our faith and knowledge of Him. 2.) When we are no longer tossed and blown about by every new teaching, no longer influenced by deceptive teachings so clever they sound like the truth. 3.) When we know how to speak the truth in love and growing in every way more like Christ.
Going back to the first statement in this blog - A church grows as its individual members grow. The homily ended with Dcn. Yuri saying that your faith, no matter how small, will become big when we are with other Christians.Our personal faith and growth affects other Christians. We should be careful that we affect them in a positive way, rather than discourage them from growing.
Finally let me end this by a few tips on how you can grow as a Christian, based on past teachings and even personal experience.
1. Desire to grow.
We will not grow unless we want to grow. As children, we would say "When I grow up, I want to be like mom or dad." As spiritual children, we aim to say "I want to be spiritually mature so I can be more like Christ."
When the desire is not there, we get stuck as baby Christians. Do you want to be a baby Christian forever?
2. Nourish your spirit!
As babies, our parents would let us drink milk or eat food so that we can be nourished and grow healthy. It is the same case with our spirits! Matthew 4:4 says that "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." We do this by reading the Bible, studying it, listening to the Word. Taking down notes during the homily. Attending not just Sundays but Wednesday Service as well! Finding every opportunity to know more about God. Worship!
3. Exercise and application, this isn't just about theory.
Practice what you learn. Tithe. Love your neighbors. Forgive. Honor your father and your mother. All these things that we read and learn from the Bible and different teachings are useless if we do not apply it. Sometimes it is challenging. But remember, we can only do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. (Hebrews 12:2)
4. Keep desiring to grow.
The moment we grow, we shouldn't stop wanting to grow. We should continue to seek, hunger and thirst for God. Sometimes, growing pains make us want to stop and go back to our old ways. But 1 Peter 1:14-16 says "Don't slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn't know any better then. But now, you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy."
5. Enjoy the growth!
There are plenty of benefits when we grow with the Lord. We have peace & security. We are protected. Our relationships prosper. Blessings will surround you. All these and more come with growing with the Lord.
There's so much more we can discuss when it comes to spiritual growth, but for now we start with this. I pray that this post will inspire you to desire in your hearts to grow with the Lord. I promise you, it will be beautiful.
To God be the glory!
Theme: Steadfastly Growing
First Reading: Ezekiel 31:1-6,10-14
Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:1-10
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 92:1-4; 12-15
Gospel Reading: Mark 4:26-34
Homily by: Dcn. Yuri Mascarinas
"A church grows as its individual members grow."
When I did some extra reading on growing as a Christian, I came upon that quote. With everything happening in our local church this year, I could not help but agree. It may be slow, even unnoticeable at first, but the moment its members start desiring to grow in their personal, spiritual lives, the Body of Christ - the Church, grows as well.
In today's homily, the message of Dcn. Yuri was this: "As we yield to God's word being sown and planted in our lives, we become His church that brings light, comfort and peace to the world."
He then proceeded to say that God has invested in us individually and corporately as a church. We cannot deny that our individual relationships with God affects the whole. We are ONE BODY, as we learned from Corpus Christi Sunday. Thus, as ONE BODY, we should learn to be united and grow TOGETHER.
But before we get there, let us first try to understand the stages we undergo when we change. As shared by the good deacon earlier, this is based on today's Gospel reading - specifically on Mark 4:26-29.
3 STAGES IN ONE'S CHRISTIAN GROWTH
Stage 1: "First, a leaf blade pushes through"
When a seed is planted, life starts. Growth is manifested the moment the first leaf blade pushes through. This happens when God touches the life of a person. When God touches our life, we slowly begin to see how God sees things. This is what we now call the Born Again Experience. When we are born again, despite our physical age, we become Baby Christians.
Stage 2: "Then the heads of the wheat are formed"
Growth only comes from the Lord. God is the One that strengthens the whole being of man. By being, we mean spirit, soul and body! This is when we are transformed from the top of our head to the soles of our feet. This happens as our faith grows. And for it to grow, Romans 10:17 tells us that "Faith comes from hearing, that is hearing the Word of God." More on that later.
Stage 3: "Finally the grain ripens."
When the grain ripens, it is now ready for harvest. This is when we are already mature Christians. What is a mature Christian? Ephesians 4:13-15 says that being a mature Christian is 1.) When we come to such unity with the Body of Christ in our faith and knowledge of Him. 2.) When we are no longer tossed and blown about by every new teaching, no longer influenced by deceptive teachings so clever they sound like the truth. 3.) When we know how to speak the truth in love and growing in every way more like Christ.
Going back to the first statement in this blog - A church grows as its individual members grow. The homily ended with Dcn. Yuri saying that your faith, no matter how small, will become big when we are with other Christians.Our personal faith and growth affects other Christians. We should be careful that we affect them in a positive way, rather than discourage them from growing.
Finally let me end this by a few tips on how you can grow as a Christian, based on past teachings and even personal experience.
1. Desire to grow.
We will not grow unless we want to grow. As children, we would say "When I grow up, I want to be like mom or dad." As spiritual children, we aim to say "I want to be spiritually mature so I can be more like Christ."
When the desire is not there, we get stuck as baby Christians. Do you want to be a baby Christian forever?
2. Nourish your spirit!
As babies, our parents would let us drink milk or eat food so that we can be nourished and grow healthy. It is the same case with our spirits! Matthew 4:4 says that "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." We do this by reading the Bible, studying it, listening to the Word. Taking down notes during the homily. Attending not just Sundays but Wednesday Service as well! Finding every opportunity to know more about God. Worship!
3. Exercise and application, this isn't just about theory.
Practice what you learn. Tithe. Love your neighbors. Forgive. Honor your father and your mother. All these things that we read and learn from the Bible and different teachings are useless if we do not apply it. Sometimes it is challenging. But remember, we can only do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. (Hebrews 12:2)
4. Keep desiring to grow.
The moment we grow, we shouldn't stop wanting to grow. We should continue to seek, hunger and thirst for God. Sometimes, growing pains make us want to stop and go back to our old ways. But 1 Peter 1:14-16 says "Don't slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn't know any better then. But now, you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy."
5. Enjoy the growth!
There are plenty of benefits when we grow with the Lord. We have peace & security. We are protected. Our relationships prosper. Blessings will surround you. All these and more come with growing with the Lord.
There's so much more we can discuss when it comes to spiritual growth, but for now we start with this. I pray that this post will inspire you to desire in your hearts to grow with the Lord. I promise you, it will be beautiful.
To God be the glory!
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