WHAT IS TENDED THRIVES

In a cultivated garden, certainly in Canberra, the plants which are watered and mulched and tended are the ones most likely to thrive.  Some plants have found their niche, are established and come back year after year, and even so, need care.  Our hardy plants in the chapel garden revive with care, and some pruning so that there is variety and space for all.  

Our religious life similarly thrives inwardly and outwardly with care and attention .  It can be hardy and resilient once it has taken root and is established.  Our community is a ‘garden’ for each of us as we cultivate it and give it focus.  With the coming of spring and the glorious seasons of Michaelmas and Advent there is so much inspiration and meaning in what we have tended through the winter months, now expressed in the renewal of warmth and colour at the altar.  The seasons draw us into their rhythm, our human nature unfolds in the light of the Spirit Sun.  Then we need to attend to care of our soul, and allow others to also care for us so that we thrive.  It’s as simple and as difficult as that to experience the work of the Gardener in our midst!

Cheryl Nekvapil