Hello everyone! Heyo! Welcome back to Scattering Flowers with Elise and Miles, a podcast where you read the daily Gospels and the Saint of the Day.
Let’s get started! Today is Friday, January 30th, and the Gospel reading is Mark 4, 30-34, and the scripture to reflect on is Mark 4, 31.
It is like a grain of mustard seed, which when sown upon the ground is the smallest of all the seeds on earth.
Many things that begin small become large.
Let’s think of some things and make a list.
What is small but then becomes big?
Seeds are small but become big plants.
People start as babies but grow to be adults.
Or bread dough rising starts sticky and flat but then becomes a loaf.
Have you ever been told by your parents or teachers that you can change the world, but you have wondered, how can I do that?
Do you ever wonder if your acts of service for God will be noticed and will ever make any difference?
They do! You don’t have to wait until you’re older before you can start making disciples and doing big things for the kingdom of God.
God notices you and can use you, even though you’re young.
Why not volunteer to altar serve, or be an usher greeter at the door with your parents, or pass the offering basket during Mass?
There are lots of small ways you can help right here and right now.
Today’s Saint of the Day is Saint John Bosco.
He was born 1815 and died 1888.
He is the patron saint of school children.
John Bosco was born in Piedmont, Italy to a poor farming family.
As a boy, he would attract crowds of people by performing magic tricks and acrobatics.
Then he would teach them the catechism.
After he was ordained a priest, he opened oratories, places of prayer, study, and apprenticeship to keep boys out of prison and off the streets.
Fondly called Don Bosco, John founded the Salesians of Don Bosco and Salesian Sisters.
John’s life and work were characterized by a fun-loving spirit and deep, tender-hearted love for others.
He used to go around Turin looking for boys who needed help.
One day he came upon a group of boys gambling in the street.
He asked if he could play with them.
Soon he had won all their money.
He told them if they had promised to come to the oratory for Mass that coming Sunday, he would give them back their money.
The boys promised.
John returned the money, and the next Sunday several of them appeared at the oratory.
But the time of John’s death, 250 Salesian houses had been established, serving 130,000 children today, all over the world.
Thousands of Salesians continued the work Don Bosco began.
When Jesus first started his earthly ministry of telling others about God, he had no followers.
He called one or two followers at a time until he had 12 disciples.
They became Jesus' closest friends.
They tried to travel with Jesus everywhere he went.
After Jesus' ascension, they began telling people that he was the Son of God.
The kingdom started out with a small group of people, but over time, more people put their faith in Jesus and joined his kingdom.
This is why Jesus compared the kingdom of God to a mustard seed.
John Bosco wanted, above all, to bring people to Christ.
To do this, he used the gifts God had given him, creativity, humor, and love for the young.
He was not afraid to start small, nor was he afraid to let God do big things.
Let’s pray.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Dear God, help my faith to be like a mustard seed so it can grow to love and follow you.
And help us to surrender our gifts back to you so that it may shine through me.
Saint John Bosco, pray for us.
Amen.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Thank you so much for listening.
We’ll be back next week scattering more flowers.
See ya!