During a recent home visit to Melbourne, I was reminded of the quiet yet powerful witness of presence. As an SPC Sister, I wear my religious habit even when I’m on holiday. While the habit doesn’t tell the whole story of who I am, it serves as a visible sign of my consecrated identity and often opens the door to meaningful encounters.

At every church or place I visited, people would approach to ask about my vocation or simply to talk. I was touched by the joy in their faces as they greeted me, and I saw Christ in them as they welcomed the Christ in me. I didn’t do anything extraordinary, just offered a God-given smile, a warm greeting, or a few words of encouragement. Yet in those simple moments, I sensed I was sowing mustard seeds in the field of God’s Kingdom, trusting that His grace would cause them to grow in His own time and in His own way.

Today’s Gospel, Jesus reminds us that the Kingdom begins in small ways. A smile, a kind word, or a listening ear offered with love can become something far greater through God’s grace, like ‘a tree so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.’ (Mt 13:32)

Come, Holy Spirit! Empower us to keep sowing small seeds of love and kindness in the world around us. May each gesture of compassion reveal the love of Your Sacred Heart, drawing others into the shelter of Your grace. Amen.

By Sr. Theresa Maria Dao, SPC