***Stay tuned to the end of the homily. There's a bonus track from our Sunday @2pm Latin High Mass***

As the school year ends, students rejoice!  Newly minted graduates reflect upon their diplomas and hard earned degrees, parents exhale a sigh of relief, as the low hum of our air conditioners battle the onslaught of the Vacaville summer. St. Mary’s now shifts into high gear. Baptisms quadruple. Quinceaneras abound, with their big, colorful puffy dresses. A beautiful bride and a dapper groom will march down our center aisle, practically each Saturday for the next few months. In the midst of all these busy activities, I want to call your attention to three in particular: the Mother/daughter (ages 10-17), the Vacation Bible School for First graders all the way up to Seniors in high school, and the a day retreat lead by Catholic evangelist and speaker, Jesse Romero. All the details can be found in the parish bulletin and St. Mary’s website. I’d like to invite all of you to consider signing up for these activities. Why? 

The answer is in our Gospel reading this Sunday. Jesus tells us that the Kingdom of God is like a “Seed.” As anyone knows who’s ever tried to care for a houseplant or grow a vegetable garden in their backyard, it requires work. Our faith is like a delicate seed. It requires effort to make it flourish. It needs water, fertilizer, the correct amount of sunlight, and yes even attentive love. If neglected, this “seed” of which our Lord speaks of, can wither and die, just like a plant. Every single one of us has the Kingdom of God planted in all of us that we received when we were baptized. That’s when our spiritual relationship with Jesus began. It’s nourished each time we receive Jesus in the Holy Eucharist in state of grace, it’s watered when the Holy Spirit descended upon us from Heaven at our Confirmation, like the rains from above. This precious faith in us must be cared for. Jesus says, “To what shall we compare the kingdom of God or what parable can we use for it? It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth. But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of the plants and puts forth large branches.” (Cf. Mark 4:30–32). 

I want to be that kind of plant. I want to be that kind of Catholic, strong, mighty, courageous, and most of all, a passionate lover of Jesus Christ that bears much fruit. If you are a mother of a daughter between the ages of ten and seventeen, I invite you to the mother/daughter program on June 30th. If you are in school, from the first grade all the way to senior in high school, come to our Vacation Bible School in July. If you are Catholic, thirsting for more, come to the day retreat with Jesse Romero on July 30th. Let’s strengthen this divine “seed” in us. Now is the time to be holy!