First Men's Conference a Huge Success!

Photo by Amechi Amnugi

The Called Answered
Yesterday morning eighty-eight men answered the call to man up and get serious about being the spiritual leaders of their families. These men attended the first Fall Men's Conference at St. Catherine of Siena, sponsored by Joe Catholic, the Knights of Columbus #13408 and the RCIA team. The theme of the conference was Learn, Live and Share the Faith.

For Men By Men
The conference centered on talks presented by three men from the St. Catherine parish: Mark Connolly, Lindon Leners and Don Gonzalez. They spoke on Conversion, Formation and Evangelization.  Michael Hoffman, who is a professional motivational speaker and a St. Catherine parishioner, emceed the event.

Sacraments and Sacramentals
The conference also provided the attendees the opportunity to spend time in Eucharistic  Adoration and to receive the sacrament of Reconciliation. Each session was sponsored by one of the three organizations. Additionally, three copies of the Catechism of the Catholic Church were given away. Local Catholic book store, Two Hearts donated copies of Father Larry Richards' two books and an autographed copy of Dr. Ray Guarendi's book. Upon registration the men were given "swag bags" (donated by Guadalupe Radio) containing rosary and confession guides, prayer cards and note pads and pens donated by a local business.

Feed My Sheep
The men were fed both body and soul. The Knights cooked up a high-tone version of pork and beans: pork loin, green beans and broiled potatoes. The spiritual food was certainly provided in the sacrament of reconciliation as Fathers Mathew and Augustine heard confessions for over two hours!

Appreciation and Thanks
First, this could not have been a successful weekend without the participation of all the men that took time from their busy schedules to invest in their spiritual growth. A special thanks goes out to our priests for their willingness to hear each and every confession, over two hours without a break. We all know that behind (to the side and often in front of) every successful man is a strong woman. We thank the women of SAC and the Ladies of the Knights for providing the morning and afternoon snacks. We also want to thank Dave Palmer (Guadalupe Radio) and Two Hearts Bookstore family for their generous donations. Finally, a heartfelt thanks to all the men of the Knights and Joe Catholic for giving their time, talent and treasure into planning the conference.

The Parable of the Sower

The Sower, van Gogh (1889)

Today's Gospel is one we are all quite familiar with - The Parable of the Sower. Matthew's depiction is taken from the 13th Chapter of Matthew which has been called the parabolic discourse because it contains seven different parables.

According to the commentary in the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible (RSV), the parable demonstrates "how indifferent responses to the word of the kingdom (13:19) prove unfruitful (CCC 29)." On the flip side of this, the responsive heart bears bountiful fruit (13:23).

This seems to me to be consistent with our focus on Learn, Live and Share. What I mean is that most of us follow this pattern. First encounter Christ through some type of conversion experience. If we are properly disposed, this in turn leads us to seek out spiritual formation. As we are formed in the faith, we are moved to bear fruit, to evangelize. This parallels the experience outlined in Pope Paul VI's encyclical, Ecclesiam Suam: awareness, renewal and dialogue.

As we reflect on today's Gospel, we should consider what we are doing to bear fruit. Furthermore, we should also contemplate the ways we can make ourselves more available to God's Word.

I'll close with a thought from St. Josemaria Escriva:

The sower went out to sow, to scatter the seed at all the crossroads of this earth. What a blessed task we have. We have the job of making sure that in all the circumstances of time and place the word of God takes root, springs up and bears fruit. (The Forge, 970)

For further reading:
The Sower and the Seeds, Joe Catholic
Farming the Seeds of Faith, Dr. Marcellino D'Ambrosio
Understand Your Catholic Faith or Lose It, Father John Hardon, S.J.

Please enjoy this flash video that portrays the parable in a simple, but striking way.