On the Feast of St Jerome

I am reminded today on reading the Divine Office on this Feast of St Jerome about the Parable of the Sower. Jesus tells us of the sower who sows seeds on rocky ground, among the thorns, where the birds eat it, and finally on good ground. For me, I was born in a garden with rich soil and the Word of God was planted there. But the analogy doesn't quite hold because we move around during various periods in our lives to areas where it is rocky and in my case where the thorns and weeds were. The word was choked as the cares and frivolities of this life took all of my energy. Now that I am back in a garden with good soil, I want the remainder of my life to be spent pursuing eternal truth. I want to surround myself with companions of like mind who also see the beauty and indeed the necessity of pursuing the things that last, the eternal, the holy, and ultimately, the friendship of God, as we read today from the Book of Wisdom, the seventh chapter,verses 13-14:

Simply I learned about Wisdom, and ungrudgingly do I share - her riches I do not hide away; For to men she is an unfailing treasure; those who gain this treasure win the friendship of God, to whom the gifts they have from discipline commend them.

I am entering the period of Candidacy in the Order of Franciscans Secular. This is a period of prayer and study as I prepare to make my profession. This period will last anywhere from 18 months to 36 months. I was brought into the church on the inspiration of Francis of Assisi and I hope to live my life following his Rule, going from the Gospel to life, and from life to the Gospel. Francis was a follower of Christ, a joyful saint whose love for God spilled over into love of God's creation and creatures. His ministry to the poor, to the outcast, to the lepers in his day, has always inspired me and I want to live my life following that model. As St Paul tells us "imitate me"; we are given guides in this life who have been given the grace to set before us paths to follow according to our various temperaments. Francis' spirituality suits me and challenges me to imitate him as he imitated Christ so completely.