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Web Ltr Spring ‘10

Dear Partner in Mission,

The soil was in containers of peat moss, wrapped in plastic. The brightly colored directions read “Plant seeds and water as needed.” The promise was for beautiful blooming flowers. As much as I love gardening, this could be as close as I could get to tilling the earth. Then in the spirit of the ancestors, I thought of a spiritual, symbolic approach. Here’s what came to me.

After the Resurrection, Jesus enters the Upper Room and says to the disciples gathered there, “Peace be with you.” Our lives today – in the inner city, on reservations and in suburbia – are a never ending search for peace and happiness. Peace remains an illusion unless we are able to recognize that our hearts will remain restless until they rest in God. (St. Augustine)

For true happiness why not consider another kind of gardening? Plant seeds of love: small acts of kindness, compassion and understanding. Reach out to people who are helpless because of age or infirmity. Extend your charity to those who are not attractive to you or who have offended you in some way. And just as seeds are planted in the dark dirt, do good deeds that are hidden and without credit. Rediscover that virtue is its own reward. Please be sure to visit on this site, Profiles in Faith, to re-discover the virtues of Blessed Kateri, Mother Lange and Venerable Pierre Toussaint.

The seven weeks of the Easter Season extend to Pentecost Sunday. It is springtime when Mother Earth is in bloom reminding us of the spiritual call to new life in Christ. Plant love and YOU will blossom!

The Black and Indian Mission Office Photo Archive::