We were trying to organize storage space recently and found a box of photo albums of our oldest grandchildren when they were very young. Many photos were from summertime, and the kids were playfully exploring the perennial gardens we had planted. It was a consolation for us to revisit the memories of the kids’ early childhood surrounded by vibrant blossoms. We didn’t get very far with our organizing. We spent most of our time leisurely reminiscing over the pictures.
Promise and Proclaim
We are anticipating our first spring in our current home. In the fall, we discovered a variety of plantings that we carefully pruned in preparation for winter. In the past few days, we’ve noticed bright green sprouts springing from the dark soil in various corners of the yard. I can’t identify the species yet, but we are enjoying their promise and the creation life they proclaim.
The earth knows what to do in the cycle of life and rebirth. It is the Creator God’s gracious, sustaining presence and design.
Home For Lent
As Lent began, we recalled our intimate connection to the earth. Ash Wednesday reminded us that we are dust. In the colorful language of the Genesis author, the Lord God formed us from the earth (Genesis 2:7). We are rooted here – what Pope Francis refers to as our “common home.”
Interconnection
As our kids were growing up, we tried to teach them a reverence for creation. Our children now have their own families and homes, and we take comfort in how well they care for the natural elements of their spaces. They recognize that caring for ourselves, our families, those we meet, and the natural world are dimensions of our interrelatedness with all the Lord has provided for us.
“And some seed fell on rich soil and produced fruit. It came up and grew and yielded thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.” (Mark 4:8)
Lent may be an optimum time to reread Jesus’ parables that speak about life and growth. Meditating on these in faith, we can become increasingly aware of how God’s reign gives us life, gives light to what we do, and growth to who we are becoming.
This Lent, let us pray in our families to cultivate the soil of our lives, prune what does not give life, heal what is broken, and nurture what yields abundant fruit.