Harvest Bazaar Festival, 13 November, 2015
Harvest is the process of gathering ripe crops from the field. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulse for harvest, the harvest marks the end of the growing season or the growing cycle for a particular crop and social importance of this event makes it the focus of seasonal celebration such as a harvest festival.
A harvest festival is an annual celebration and that occur around the time of the main harvest of a given region. Harvest festivals typically feature feasting both family and public with foods and are drawn from crops that come to maturity around the time of the festival . Ample food and freedom from the necessity work in the fields are two central features of harvest festivals; eating, merriment, contest and music are common features of harvest festival.
In Britain, thanks have been given for successful harvest. The celebration on this day usually includes singing hymns, praying and decorating churches with basket of fruits and food in the festival, Harvest thanksgiving or harvest festival of thanksgiving, people bring in produce from the garden, to raise funds for the church.
This harvest of Consecration has been a challenge for us to consecrate/set ourselves and resources apart; offering them up to God as a sacrifice, for the mission of his church. You may be poor or not have much. All that the Lord asks is that we give ourselves and what we have. The widow who came to the temple was poor but she also contributed her 2 coins to the temple treasury. Her offering might have been overlooked by all but it was acknowledged and appreciated by Jesus, because from her poverty she gave all that she had, her whole living. In her poverty, she was generous! She gave everything, in the little she had. St Paul does not force us to give but he urges to offer our bodies and the fruit of our labours as a living, holy and spiritual sacrifice; pleasing to God just like the smell of pleasant aroma. We are called to follow in the footsteps of Jesus, who “On the night he was betrayed and entered willingly into his passion” (II Eucharistic Prayer), offered us his body and blood as a sacrifice of our salvation, healing, forgiveness and liberation. His sacrifice is alive, holy and pleasing to God because it is an intentional offering. In order for our consecration to be pleasing to the Lord, it must be offered cheerfully and not grudgingly.
“Consider that 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…” (2 Corinthians 9: 6-13).
On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.” John 7: 37. With these words we are called to come to Christ and nourish ourselves. The Cathedral of Sacred Heart annually celebrates its Harvest and it is already drinking its fourth cup of Christ Harvest. In particular, the 2015 Harvest and Bazaar came with new blessings to us as a community. Firstly it was themed on Consecration. The church throughout the world has celebrated consecrated life and we need to ensure that we as well, being the community of the Cathedral consecrate our works to our God like Abel Sacrifice that was offered by faith. God chose to accept Abel’s sacrifice because it was a sacrifice from the heart and believing in God.
Are we following Abel’s way of having faith for celebrating this Harvest of Consecration? The Lord looked with favour at Abel and his offering and it was accepted. Genesis 4:4. Abel served his Lord and so our God our creator wants us to serve Him always, even if we did not achieve any of our objectives.
As the community of Cathedral celebrate the annual event of the Harvest, we need to bring ourselves closer to God and his love for we are a diverse community that needs to multiply its efforts to bring everyone in our community closer. We need to grow in our faith and so understand that this harvest of consecration is embedded in the true consecration of our Christ. We must move ourselves from the common purpose to a ‘new’ state. We must be inspired by the presence of the Holy Spirit that it is with us in this journey of our harvesting. We must remember these words: “I myself am convinced, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, complete in knowledge and competent to instruct one another. (Romans 15:14).
