GOLDEN HARVEST

Memorial of St. John Chrysostom,
Bishop and Doctor of the Church

Mk 4:1-10.13-20

St. John Chrysostom was born in Antioch in the year 349 A.D. and died in exile in the year 407 A.D. He entered the monastic life, became a priest, and later consecrated as Archbishop of Constantinople. He is remembered for his powerful eloquence in defending the Catholic Faith in both his preaching and writings. He was a great genius in his lifetime and still is one of the brightest minds the Church has ever produced. “Chrysostom” was not his surname. It was a title given him because of his great giftedness in preaching and the soundness of his teachings. “Chrysostom” literally means “golden-mouthed” in Greek. “Ginintuang bibig” in Tagalog. “Ginintuang bibig” is something unheard of in Tagalog though. Rather, in the vernacular, we have, “ginintuang puso” (literally meaning, “golden-heart”, but more precisely understood as “kindhearted”). How many of us have both? We cannot be “golden-mouthed” if we are not kindhearted. We are not kindhearted if we are not “golden-mouthed”. We speak from the wealth of our hearts. As the Gospel today on the memorial of St. John Chrysostom echoes to us the Parable of the Good Seed, let us remember that the soil on which the Good Seed – the Word of God – falls is our heart. Yes, the seed that God sows is always good but the harvest is greatly determined by the kind of hearts we have. May our hearts always be a good soil for the good seed of God. Let there be a golden harvest for the Lord!