The associated reading for this reflection can be found in your Every Sacred Sunday Mass journal or online here.
What does it mean that the Lord will fulfill His promises? Day to day, it seems challenging to maintain a joyful spirit, especially as the world meets more chaos and strife. So again—what does it mean that the Lord will fulfill His promises?
Each of us carries a seed that the Lord gives—seeds of love, fraternity, kindness, and peace. These seeds are destined to be scattered among the world. The question becomes: what opportunities do you have to sow seeds of God’s love?
Growing up, I often heard that my kindness was a burden that would eventually lead me to disappointment. After all, the world is tough, gritty, and narrow—right? As I grew older, I came to realize that this particular seed the Lord blessed me with did indeed come with its share of lessons, but it also came with a bountiful harvest. A harvest full of joy.
Each of us is invited into this mystery. Each of us becomes, in some small but significant way, a co-creator of joy and hope with the God of the universe. Today’s responsorial psalm reminds us that even when the sowing is accompanied by tears, the harvest is worth it. “Those who sow in tears will reap rejoicing.” These words are not a vague encouragement but a concrete promise. God Himself will fulfill it.
And yet, we live in the tension of the “already but not yet.” We sow without always seeing the fruit. We scatter seeds without knowing when or how they will take root. Sometimes we only see the tears. Sometimes we only feel the weight of the soil pressing down. But faith tells us that the story doesn’t end there. The Lord, who is faithful, will bring forth the growth in His time.
This is what it means to live in hope: to trust that our smallest acts of kindness, our hidden sacrifices, and our daily “yes” to love are never wasted. The world may be filled with weeping, but the servants of the Lord will come back rejoicing. The Lord’s promises are not half-measures. They are abundant, overflowing, more than we could ask or imagine.
So today, as we pray this psalm, let us ask for the courage to keep sowing. To believe that even our tears are watering the seeds. And to hold fast to the promise that the harvest is coming—beyond our comprehension, beyond our imagination, and beyond our wildest joy.
Chenele Shaw grew up in Central Florida in a vibrant Catholic Caribbean family. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Theology from Ave Maria University in 2015. She has served in ministry at the school, parish, and diocesan levels. Today, she lives in Florida, where she is the co-director of the Before Gethsemane Initiative, which focuses on educating and equipping Catholics to work against racism in the Church and beyond. Chenele is also a board member of the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry (NFCYM) and a national speaker and writer who inspires faith and community through authentic stories and impactful conversations. Come say hey on Insta!
