FAMILY FUN, FAITH FORMATION AND FULFILLMENT
Fulfilling Our Call To Love Our Brothers And Sisters In The Family Of God
Pope Francis has focused on the need to engage and support the family around the world, noting "The family is the nearest hospital, the first school for the young...: He also noted that the family constitutes the best “social capital."
This fun project can be done as a fun family Faith Formation event... for the Church family... for your family... and for the family of God. And while participating in this project will be fun, it will also provide serious starvation, solidarity and sustainability support.
As we all know, in our Catholic teaching, we are called to live lives of Christ-like love, caring for our brothers and sisters locally and around the world.
Anyone wanting to affect Faith Formation can use this project to teach on and enable us to live out the Parable of the Final Judgment in Matthew 25:
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations* will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food…”
Importantly, those wanting to affect Faith Formation can also explain that this project can help us to be doers of the Word and not just hearers of the Word (James 1:22).
This project can support this teaching in a family-friendly way that gives new perspectives on hunger and solidarity,
This can be acheived through hands-on gardening that can supply the local food pantry, and through the project's portal with its web cam and chat functionatliy that can connect the Church in developed and developing world.
As another facet of Faith Formation, this project can help teach and fulfill Scripture encouragement for us to give of ourselves generously, just as a farmer sows seed generously. It can also help illustrate the joys of God's "indescribable gift:"
Consider this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each must do as already determined, without sadness or compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. Moreover, God is able to make every grace abundant for you, so that in all things, always having all you need, you may have an abundance for every good work. As it is written:
“He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.”
The one who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed and increase the harvest of your righteousness.
You are being enriched in every way for all generosity, which through us produces thanksgiving to God, for the administration of this public service is not only supplying the needs of the holy ones but is also overflowing in many acts of thanksgiving to God.
Through the evidence of this service, you are glorifying God for your obedient confession of the gospel of Christ and the generosity of your contribution to them and to all others, while in prayer on your behalf they long for you, because of the surpassing grace of God upon you.
Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!' 2: Cor 9: 6-15
Let's Also Celebrate Our Creator -- The Author Of Life And Everything In It
It's so important from a faith formation perspective to reflect on our triune God, our incredible Creator, and His awesome Creation. This project can be a tool to help render God's incredible love manifested through Creation.
Indeed gardening exposes God's incredible design, and the sweet potato is a marvel of God's design.
It would be entirely appropriate to share God's Word on creation with those working in this project,
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God. All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be… He was in the world, and the world came to be through him, but the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, but his own people did not accept him. But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name…” John, 1, 10, 12.
GIFT provides additional "Celebrate Our Creator" resources that can be used to encourage celebrating God for his Incredible creation.
http://www.institutefortransformation.org/celebrate-our-creator