Wondering what new thing God is calling forth in your life?.  In the March issue of E-voc S. Janet Gildea reflects… “Dig … Plant … Water … Wait”

The season of Lent is well-situated in the calendar for a time of metanoia. After months of cold and dark we are ready for a change. The barren trees, the snow-covered yards, the gray skies all increase our desire for new life, fresh starts, and something of color! “Change our hearts, Lord!” we sing in the early days of Lent. Let us “rise again from ashes!”

What are we willing to do to turn our minds and hearts toward God this time around? What will it take to really be open to the transforming power of God’s love? What will it take to unplug our ears to the sound of God’s voice as it speaks in the depths of our hearts?

The springtime rituals of gardening offer some steps for spiritual practice. First, we cannot avoid the necessary digging up of the hardened soil. Even dead, dry weeds have tenacious roots that cling to clumps of dirt. They must be pried loose with a sharp cultivator and crumbled by a willing hand. What in you needs to be pulled up and turned over? What will aerate the soil, and what can you do to provide some nutrients that the long summer and fall have used up? A good examination of conscience, a Lenten penance service, a spiritual direction appointment might help you till the soil.

Looking through the seed packets, what is it that you want to grow in your relationship with God? What new life are you seeking? What possibilities – maybe some that “went-to-seed” some time ago – are you willing to give a chance now? Seeds are sown fairly close to the surface and usually just require a little loving firmness of topsoil to tuck them in. Instructions are included with the seeds, but if you need some advice, master gardeners are not hard to find at motherhouses in your area!

Water is indispensable. Keeping the soil moist is important for germination. For the first few days it’s easy to remember to water, but when no sprouts have appeared it can require great discipline – and hope – to continue watering an apparently barren bed. The season of Lent is long! First fervor for prayer, fasting and giving alms can dwindle as the weeks drag on. You can forget exactly where you put those seeds! There is little danger of over-watering at this point. Having a daily routine will help you persevere despite any obvious results.

Finally, we must wait. We can dig the soil. We can plant the seed. We can be faithful sprinklers of water. But there in the darkness, God alone will break open the seed, sink the root and send up the shoot.

E-voc  is Vocations Team of the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati for single women.

EVoc_March2014 The above and other items of interest.