When I was at Holy Trinity Seminary, I used to walk the grounds. There were nature trails that went from place to place and I found it peaceful to make the walk. If you have a chance go to the seminary. Its in Irving and I think that you will find it very inspiring. Its the place the dozens of men are studying to become priests of the Church. Its located right near where the old Texas Stadium lied. So, one day I was walking this trail and I ran across an unusual thing. It was like a small treasure. In a field like opening amidst the trees was a watermelon plant. It even had begun to produce fruit. I felt like I had discovered this special treasure. I knew not how it got there but I knew that its fruit would be good. So for the next several months, I watched as this plant grew and the fruits grew as well. One day, I decided that it was time to harvest and I picked the watermelon and took it back to the seminary. I invited some seminarians over to share in the bounty. We sliced it open and it was perfectly ripe. As we began to bite into the sweet goodness, one of the seminarians asked how the watermelon plant got there. I told him that I didnt know but that I had found the plant near the opening where the sewer line had broke. For some reason he didnt want to finish his piece.

Today, Jesus speaks to us routinely about the seed that is scattered and sown. The smallest of seeds would indeed grow to be a great tree. This parable is about faith. The seed of faith takes root in our souls at baptism and is nourished at the Eucharist and watered during prayers. It is supported by good works and before long this seed starts to grow into a strong tree. How does it grow?

For many of us who have gardens or are farmers know that we can till the soil, plant the plants, water them and feed them. But we have no direct control over their growth. It is the laws of nature that allows the seed to grow. So too the seed of faith in our soul. We have no power to make faith grow. It grows only through the power of the Holy Spirit. However, we can make the conditions right to allow faith to take root  and grow in our lives. This is what God asks us to do today.

I would like to make the rest of this homily primarily for the fathers with us who on this day we celebrate your sacrifice and provision for your families. In a way, this message goes out to all men, because although some men may not be biological fathers, all men are called to be a father at least spiritually. Fathers, studies have shown that the seed of faith principally is past down through the father. If you want your children to have faith, you need to be the first example of faith for your child.

As fathers you sacrifice to provide for your families in many different ways. You work so that your family can have a house and food on the table. You sacrifice so your children can have education and have the ability to grow their minds. You want to care for their bodies and so you provide them with sporting activities, gym memberships, or even routine trips to the doctor. All of these are good things - but all of these things fathers will end when you or your family breathes their last on this earth. Only the provision of faith will have eternal ramifications. By nourishing the seed of faith in your family, you are giving them something that will not die but only grow into something magnificent, a life spent with God forever in heaven. This is why providing faith is so important. 

So how do you do so? Well, fathers when you pray with your families, you are providing nourishment to faith. Pray with and for your families. Pray the rosary with your families every day. Or open up the bible and talk about the reading. Or pray the liturgy of the hours. this is a great prayer because everyone can take a certain part. Or before you eat, sit down with your family and recall the blessings in your lives of that day and thank God, and recall the burdens / sorrows / sufferings and see how God is their as your strength. These prayers will help water the seed of faith given to your family members.

Talk about your faith, tell your children why you love Jesus Christ and why you love the Church. Bring them to the Mass and to Reconciliation. Allow them to see you go to Confession. And have them be a part of acts of service and charity. As a family, help the Church, charities, or other families when they are need. They will see your faith in action. All of these will make you a strong provider and witness to faith in your children’s lives.

Recently, I went to a friend’s house where he was doing an enthronement of the sacred heart into his house. This basically means that he did a consecration of his family to the Heart of Jesus and then placed an image of the sacred Heart of Jesus prominently in his home. It is his role as father to make this consecration and it was great to see how his family received this grace. Fathers you have a pivotal role in providing the place for the seed of faith to grow.

I would like to offer you two testimonies of men who were fathers and lived by faith. St. Thomas More lived in the 15th century during the reign of King Henry the VIII. He was the kings trusted legal advisory. He was also a man of great faith in the teachings of the Catholic Church, a husband and father, and a man of integrity. When Henry VIII began to leave the Church because he wanted to divorce and remarry, St. Thomas More advised him constantly not to. Eventually, Thomas knew after having spoken the truths and after Oliver Cromwell began to have the Kings ear, that the only way as a man of faith he could do to protect his family was by silence. In response to his wife wondering why he was carrying on like this, he said, “Look at me. Is this the stuff that martyrs are made of.” Another friend asked him to sign the document acknowledging the king as head of the church for fraternity’s sake. St. Thomas More responded, “When you are in heaven because you followed your conscience and I am in hell because I did not follow mine, will you join me for fraternity sake.” Eventually he was taken to the tower and put to death. St. Thomas More as man and father showed that by living and dying by his faith, he was a man of integrity and faith. You too can be this man.

A second example is the great St. Joseph. You know the story. He was betrothed to marry Mary. Then she was found with child. Joseph knew that it was not his child. He also knew that Jewish law required him to not marry her and would require her death. He being man of reason and charity decided to divorce her quietly. Then the faith comes in. An angel visits Joseph and says be not afraid, take her as your wife, the child is from God the most high.” Joseph accepts and lives a life of powerful faith. He became the model of a just and faithful man. He became the model of men of strength and men of chastity. He became the patron of fathers. 

So my brothers seek to allow the seed of faith to grow in your own lives and then be a conduit to nourish and support the growth of faith in the lives of those around you and especially your families. John Paul II in his great encyclical Fides et Ratio, says that Faith and Reason are two wings that allow the human to soar to contemplate truth. Reason is part of our nature, but men allow God to develop faith within you and your family. Then this seed will grow to be a great tree that will produce much fruit!