How often do you hear or say "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree"? When those words are used, it is not really about the fruit. These words are pointing to a person's thinking or actions which are usually either good or bad. Good acts are a sign that a person is allowing God in his/her life. It is God acting in a person's life.
It is by allow God's presence in one's life that sin is excluded. God cannot share space with sin because they are mutually exclusive.
This offers us a challenge. We need to strive to live with Jesus in our hearts. We know that we have moment when we fail God. Our efforts, then, must be directed to the effort to be closely affiliated with Jesus. Once that happens, once we realize that Matthew, Mark, Luke and John announce the Good News, we are face to face with the teachings of the Son of God, we are dealing with the opposite of sin. An understanding of that special relationship will enable us to act and speak differently. We live a true life of holiness. That is our mission in life today. This is how each person can become God's agent in the world. Each person has the opportunity to become an active evangelizing agent in the Kingdom of God. That mean YOU and it means ME.
The question then is this: Does the apple of God's graces and wishes fall from from my life? Am I an agent for God's presence in the world today? Look at the life of Elizabeth Ann Seton whom we recall and petition on this her annual feast day. A convert to Catholicism, wife, mother, teacher, religious sister and ultimately a recognized saint in our Church, Elizabeth surely allowed the presence of the Holy Spirit in her life become a beacon of hope and faith for so many individuals.
