September Reflection on Gardening and Faith
Molly Boeglin and Cassie Schutzer
Tuesday, September 10, 2024
I’ve always considered September the end of the growing season. The kids have been in school for a few weeks and the harvest is coming to a head. But this season I’m also starting a few fall veggies and it’s strange to see seedlings in 90+ degree weather when the other crops are ending. It’s a palpable time of transition between the seasons.
This season I was able to preserve several kinds of jelly with my blackberries and peaches. I have winter squashes like scallop and butternut stored in the cellar, and I also harvested a few pounds of honey from my bees! Next is pickling cucumbers and okra as well as making pasta sauce. I've been collecting dried seeds from my sunflowers, strawflowers, marigolds, zinnias and squashes and got them packaged and labeled. I even put some extra produce on my little farmstand marked “free” and brought some in to work for coworkers. There is a table dedicated to fresh garden produce where coworkers can leave their excess and try someone else’s. If you have ever grown zucchini, you know one plant can basically feed a small country. The importance of sharing our gifts cannot be understated, especially at a place like Saint Meinrad.
Also this week, my friend gave me some eggs from her chicken coop. She has several roosters in with her hens, so there is a high probability of fertility. I put 29 eggs in my 41-capacity incubator, and we will be candling eggs throughout the month to check development. Hopefully, we have a good hatch rate just 21 days from incubation! The process is great for kids and adults because it’s a fairly short incubation period and the actual hatching takes hours, increasing the likelihood of seeing it in person. I don’t need 29 more chickens, so I’ll be able to share these as well with my friends and family who have or want chickens. I'm so thankful for this abundance and the ability to share it!
__________
Abundance in the Garden of our Heart
We spoke last month about seasons of weariness in the spiritual life. Let us now turn to harvest time – a time of abundance!
What does a time of harvest look like in our hearts?
It could look like a greater desire to pray. A longing for silence and solitude. An intense joy when contemplating the things of heaven and earth. A strong sense of solidarity with the poor and love for our neighbor. A pull towards the sacraments. An indescribable sense of contentment or peace.
During harvest times, we recognize and celebrate the fruits of our labors. Harvest time in the soul celebrates the collaboration between our work and the work of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us. We are co-creators with the Spirit – have you ever been told that? How amazing is that gift!
Harvest only happens when we have done the work of preparation. Harvest in the soul occurs when we go deeper into the mystery of faith, accompanied by the Lord, so that we may come to know Him better – and therefore, ourselves.
And as Molly so beautifully shared, harvest is incomplete if we keep it all for ourselves! Our call is to share the work of the Lord with others and continually allow His work to unfold in our lives.