By Fr. Edward Gibney, Saskatchewan Knights of Columbus Deputy Chaplain
Our duty as Knights of Columbus and as Christians is to contribute to God’s stated desire that His Word goes out to all the world and not return empty. God’s Word is like a seed, in the bin, that needs to be planted, and like any farmer, he desires that it bring forth a successful crop.
Fr. Ed Gibney, Deputy Chaplain, Saskatchewan Knights of Columbus
And so God has given that seed to us, to plant that seed, to tend that seed, and to pray for that seed, not just at the time of planting, but right up to the moment of the harvest.
God’s seed is the scripture that he has supplied us with to share with the rest of our community and the rest of the world. It is the knowledge of God’s love and His faithfulness to His covenants, given to us through the Old Testament. It is the warnings of the prophets and the guidance of the Psalms. It is the message of God’s mercy and forgiveness expressed through Jesus and his disciples. But it is also the greatest of all prayers, the simple words of the Our Father. God has supplied a multitude of seeds for us to sow.
And that is why it is important for us to pray and to teach the message of God in simple words, and perhaps even with no words at all. St. Francis of Assisi said, “Go out and spread the Word of the Gospel, and if you have to, use words.”
Living our faith, following scripture and those simple words of the Our Father, will do more to spread God’s Word then all the sermons ever said in the history of the world, could ever do. If we all live our faith and encourage others to do the same, we will be ensuring that God’s words do not come back to him empty.
In this time of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Order is calling us to go out and “Leave No Neighbour Behind.” This Knights of Columbus program intends to care for our neighbours and brother Knights by keeping in contact with them, helping them when needed, supporting our parishes and our communities, and by feeding the hungry.
In living these principles we can show the world the goodness of our God and the trueness of our faith. We may not be skilled in speaking God’s words, but in living the teachings that the scripture gives us, we are planting the seed of God’s Word, working toward the great harvest.