Where Beautiful Gardens Grow

Anyone who has ever planted a seed can appreciate that gardening is indeed a labor of love. The digging, the fertilizing, the planting, the daily maintenance, and the constant weeding — we do it all with one goal in mind — to grow a beautiful garden.

Our spiritual life is like growing a garden. We must prepare our bodies, minds, and souls, and open ourselves so that the Word of Our Lord can be planted within us. With daily tending, the Holy Spirit can take root and from there we can blossom as holy children of God.

Of course, we always must be mindful of the weeds. They choke the life out of what is growing. We must be diligent in pulling them out and making sure they do not come back. The same can be said of evil, which chokes the life out of all that is good. Like weeds, evil made its way into the first garden where Adam and Eve had dwelled. Instead of following God’s Word, Adam and Eve gave into evil’s temptation, which destroyed their paradise.

Not wanting the world to become a wasteland of sin, God created a new garden. Born without sin and in her lifetime on earth, Mary was a beautiful spiritual garden that no evil could destroy, even though she was just as human as the rest of us. And Mary continues to spread her beauty today through all who pray to her for guidance. Truly, with the help of Mary’s intercession, God gives us all that we need to grow spiritually with the proper care.

We receive that care by going to Mass, reading scripture, and taking Holy Communion which feed our soul, making it fertile for the Holy Spirit. Through the sacrament of penance and reconciliation, we clear away the sin that hampers our growth. And we must not forget daily prayer. Mary prayed every day. Prayer was Mary’s sustenance — like the rains that nourish the grounds where flowers bloom and trees bear fruit.

Yes, while we have time on earth, we must tend to our spiritual life as we would our garden — with a labor of love. By doing so, our spiritual garden can beautify this world with faith, hope, and charity. Then evil, like the weeds, will not have a chance to grow and take hold because with due diligence and God’s strength, we will not allow it.

With the power of the Holy Spirit, we can accomplish remarkable acts of goodness in this world. Like planting a flower, we can bring beauty where no beauty exists. Like an orchard, we can provide nourishment where there is nothing to provide fulfillment.  True, the weeds of evil and temptation will try to make their way into our garden, having us believe our efforts are futile and that no good will come from our labor of love. Surely, that is no reason to give up. With God in our hearts, we can do what evil cannot — we can turn a wasteland into a garden.