Daily Thought For July 16, 2017

The Divine Gardener

Lectio

Matthew 13:1–23

Meditatio

“A sower went out to sow.”

Have you ever planted a garden? I have … with many and varied results! Gardening has given me a great respect for the fragility of the seed and the importance of the weather, the amount of moisture, and sunlight. Then there is the timing! It takes a lot of patience and care to do anything in the garden, but gardening has wonderful rewards.

I wonder how God, the Divine Gardener, looks at me, his garden? Surely when God looks at me, he surveys the land with an expert eye. I am in good, capable hands. In fact, I can entrust myself completely to these hands. God knows me through and through. The Divine Gardener knows how much light I need, how much water and sun. My good God is completely solicitous that I should grow in a way that will be fully according to my nature. He is patient enough to walk with me through all the seasons of my life, even when some are more fallow than others. Through it all, God makes me bear divine fruits through his Son, Jesus Christ
God has given me so much and has been so considerate of me. Even when bad things happen, God walks with me and can bring good out of the situation. God never wills evil, but we live in an imperfect world where we choose the wrong way at times. We can be enticed by evil, and we even get sick and die. Yet evil does not have the last word; it cannot overpower the light. Our God sows the life and light that overcome all obstacles. He gives each one of us what we need.

In the presence of the Sower, I pause and recall the blessings that the Lord has put in my life. In a grateful response to the Divine Gardener, I will nurture another person today. I will be light. The Lord will surely send me someone who needs my help.

Oratio

Lord Jesus, you trusted so fully in your Father’s love. You placed yourself entirely into his hands. Help me trust completely that he is always with me, watering the land that is my small garden and preparing the way for a fruitful harvest. I am able to give to others because of the fruit of God’s love in my life. No matter what happens, I know that God is with me and will teach me through all that happens. I ask for light and wisdom to see with the eyes of faith today and always.

Contemplatio

“Blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear.”


Daughters of St. Paul. (2011). Ordinary Grace Weeks 1–17: Daily Gospel Reflections. (M. G. Dateno & M. L. Trouvé, Eds.) (pp. 252–253). Boston, MA: Pauline Books & Media.