Some Thoughts on Gardening

 

The Spirituality of Gardening

 

Spring, according to the calendar, has been with us for a week now.  Mary has said her saving and self-less "yes" to God to bear his Son.  It is time again to think and act on new possibilities;  gardens to plan, soil to turn, water hoses to hook up to life-giving hydrants.  The frozen waters of winter are once again flowing at the merciful and forgiving breath of God.

 

Here in the Ozarks the annual late-winter ritual of burning brush and other dead vegetation is taking place.  This process rids the area of unwanted growth and also provides the stimulus and life-giving nutrients to dormant plants.

 

St. Bonaventure, writing of the spiritual journey in his LIGNUM VITAE (Tree of Life), uses the three-fold method of ascent (purgation, illumination, and union) which he describes as a means of reaching God.

 

As we friars continue to expand our own garden area, we, too, recently burned additional ground of unwanted plants, leaving the garden bare to new possibilities.  Reflecting on our endeavors, we become illuminated in seeing the garden as our souls being purged of winter stagnation and unwanted clutter that would prohibit our journeying to God.  It gives our souls a blank slate in which new "fruit" can grown and mature.  It seems we garden for our souls' sake.

 

This Lenten season, which the Church provides us every year, gives us that opportunity to begin again, to wipe the slate clean, to marvel at the humility of God, and to strive once again to find our way back to the Creator of all.

 

"The many great gardens of the world, of literature and poetry, of painting and music, of religion and architecture, all make the point as clear as possible:  the soul cannot thrive in the absence of a garden.  If you don't want paradise, you are not human; and if you are not human, you don't have a soul."  (last quote here from Thomas Moore,  The Re-Enchantment of Everyday Life.) 

 

 

PRAYER OF MARY, QUEEN OF SCOTS

PRAYER OF MARY STUART, QUEEN OF SCOTLAND

 

Keep us, O Lord, from all pettiness.

Let us be large in thought, in word, and in deed.

Let us be done with fault-finding, and leave off all self-seeking.

May we put away all pretense and meet each other,

Face to face, without self-pity, and without prejudice.

May we never be hasty in judgment, and always generous.

Let us take time for all things.

Make us grow calm, serene, and gently.

Teach us to put into action our better impulses,

Straight forward and unafraid.

Grant that we may realize that it is the little things of life

That create differences,

That in the big things of life we are as one.

And, O Lord God, let us not forget to be kind ....

    let us not forget to be kind.

Prayer Quote from your Prayer Fraternity

 

A quote by Fr. Joseph Krempa on The Lord's Prayer:

 

 

"The Lord gives the disciples an example of how they are to pray:  with economy, trust and intimacy with God.  Like making love, prayer is one of the things we all have to do on our own.  Nobody can do it for us.  Speaking with God is an intensely personal event.  Lent is usually our annual attempt to improve our prayer life in some way.

 

We should have a set time for personal prayer.   In addition to our regular prayers, we should find a time when we are most at ease to simply communicate with the Lord and not be interrupted by anything else.  Some people even set aside a place of prayer in their homes.  

 

Secondly, our prayer should be authentic.  There is no need for us to posture before God or recite prayers written by a great saint which we think God will like to hear. 

 

Thirdly, we should await the Lord's response.  After a while, we will not be greeted by silence.  We will slowly tune in to the Holy Spirit.

 

An important meaning of the Lord's Prayer is that we can contact the God of the universe.  Reading a great deal about prayer is not initially helpful.   Like teaching,  litigating,  preaching, driving or swimming we have to start at some point and will improve slowly.  After several months of experience, books will be more helpful.

 

 

(This comment is from a book called Daily Homilies and is for Tuesday of the First Week of Lent where the Gospel is the Lord's Prayer.  Fr. Krempa closes with this point:  "Through prayer, we locate the still point inside ourselves.  When we locate that point, there we will find the Spirit of Christ.")   

Prayer Quote from your Prayer Fraternity

 

Quote by Bishop Robert Morneau on Prayer

 

"On our spiritual journey, we all need mentors and models.  So we turn to the saints and prophets, to theologians and religious, to faith-filled people to understand the various dimensions of our life in God, especially in our need to learn about the nature and methodologies of prayer.   And, of course, we turn to Jesus, who is the teacher of prayer and the one we are to emulate.

 

What does prayer do, we may ask?   This mutual dialogue deepens our relationship with God;  it fosters unity and intimacy.  Prayer refines the heart and broadens the intellect.  Prayer reveals our true self before the living and true God.  Prayer basically does one thing: connects us to the truth, the Truth who is Jesus."

 

 

(This comment is from the Lenten daily reflection book:   Not by Bread Alone 2011.   It's for Tuesday of the First Week of Lent where the Gospel is Matthew's version of the Lord's Prayer.)

Prayer Quote from your Prayer Fraternity

PRAYER OPENS THE HEART TO GOD

 

"Year ago, the late Bernard Haring, who was described by Charles Curran in his July 17, 1998, eulogy as 'a moral theologian whose soul matched his scholarship,' addressed this very process.  Haring insisted that it is only thourgh the believer's prayerful responsiveness to grace that the process of integrating faith and life can continue.  Prayer opens the heart to God;  it is an eschatological activity, says Haring, in that it is directed toward the kingdom.  In prayer, we beseech the God of the future with the request that all the marks of God's reign (liberation, forgiveness, providence, and salvation) break into our present need and inspire all our efforts.  As we pray, we become God's hands and eyes and feet and ears for others.  Through prayer, we move history toward that day when all will know the blessings of God's reign.  Therefore, we are to cry out, 'Lord, Lord' while at the same time serving and praying in a manner that never contradicts the One who is at home within us."

 

(This quote is by Patricia Sanchez in the Celebration Preaching Resource for the 9th Sunday in Ordinary Time -- Cycle A.)