Harvesting Love - Isidore's Garden

In the Gospels, Jesus often uses agricultural imagery. We hear about water, seeds, soil conditions, roots, sun, thorns, plants that grow well and yield a rich harvest, and plants that wither and die. Both our individual role as Christians and our collective mission as Church are compared to plant life in parables by Jesus. Here are some biblical passages to meditate upon: Mt 13:1-23, Mt 13:24-43, Is 55:10-11, Ps 65:10, 11, 12-13,14, Rom 8:18-23.

The parish Salt & Light group and the St. Vincent de Paul Society invite you to join us in an ongoing meditation on these teachings of Sacred Scripture through a project we are calling “Isidore's Garden: Harvesting Love”

St. Isidore is the patron saint of farmers. He embodied the Benedictine spirituality of work and prayer, and shared food he grew with the poor. St. Isidore's garden need not be limited to a patch of land in Madrid, Spain in the twelfth century, "Isidore's Garden" could spread to backyards, gardens, window boxes, orchards and farms around the world.

We invite all parishioners of St. Benedict's, and all people of goodwill, to follow St. Isidore’s beautiful example and dedicate a small patch of garden to grow fresh produce for those in need.

We invite you to bring the fruits of your labor to Mass on Sunday (bring your tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, peppers, etc.) to be presented with the gifts during our liturgy and then the St. Vincent de Paul Conference, our Salt & Light group and our deacon will ensure that this fresh produce reaches people in need.

Simply bring the food you grow to the back vestibule of the church, where canned goods are dropped off for our monthly food drive.

If you join our effort, please email us and let us know (write to Deacon Bill at deaconhynes@gmail.com). We would like to post pictures and share stories on our blog in order to support one another, learn from one another and encourage others to join us.

Won't you help? Turn you garden into holy ground!
Together, let us reap a harvest of love!
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Salt and Light Group - Catholic Social Teaching

Perhaps no one has as clearly and beautifully stated the purpose of our Salt & Light group as Pope Francis in a letter to British Prime Minister David Cameron, MP (15 June 2013) - (click for full text)

...the goal of economics and politics is to serve humanity, beginning with the poorest and most vulnerable wherever they may be, even in their mothers' wombs. Every economic and political theory or action must set about providing each inhabitant of the planet with the minimum wherewithal to live in dignity and freedom, with the possibility of supporting a family, educating children, praising God and developing one's own human potential. This is the main thing; in the absence of such a vision, all economic activity is meaningless.

In this sense, the various grave economic and political challenges facing today's world require a courageous change of attitude that will restore to the end (the human person) and to the means (economics and politics) their proper place. Money and other political and economic means must serve, not rule, bearing in mind that, in a seemingly paradoxical way, free and disinterested solidarity is the key to the smooth functioning of the global economy.

Our Salt & Light group takes its name from the sayings of Jesus in Matthew 5:13-14: "You are the salt of the earth...You are the light of the world..." We are called to imitate Christ Jesus by serving others. The image to the right shows Jesus washing the feet of His apostles. He instructs them to do the same. As Jesus' disciples today, we carry out His mandate to become servants of peace and justice.

The dignity of the human person and the common good are key elements of our work and prayer.

The Salt & Light group of St. Benedict's Parish strives to make Catholic Social Teaching (CST) a reality. It is open to anyone interested in Peace and Justice issues. Examples include: life issues and bioethics (we work closely with our Respect Life Ministry on these), care for the environment, immigration, economic justice, global poverty, human trafficking, and unemployment/underemployment. With the charitable organizations of our parish, we attempt to focus on root causes of injustice, Catholic advocacy and education.

We usually meet once a month for approximately one hour. Our meetings begin with a reading from the Gospel, we introduce ourselves, receive an update on the progress of current projects, take some time to study and discuss part of a papal social encyclical or a document of the US Catholic Bishops, have an open discussion, ask for new ideas, and close with a simple prayer. We communicate often via email on current projects. Members receive periodic e-mailings from the Diocese of Buffalo on CST issues as well.

We would love to have you take part in our Salt & Light group. For information, please contact rectory@saintbenedicts.com or simply attend a meeting.

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