Sprouting New Shoots

11/11/2020

A Reflection on the Psalm for November 15th, 2020:
Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Psalm 128

R. Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord.

Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways. You shall eat the fruit of the labour of your hands; you shall be happy, and it shall go well with you.

R. Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord.

Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table.

R. Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord.

Thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord. The Lord bless you from Zion. May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life.

R. Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord.

Pause. Pray.

And then read more...

I’ve read that olive trees can have a life expectancy of 500 years, and that the oldest olive tree is thought to be between 4000 and 5000 years old, located in Bethlehem. They are persistent and will sprout back even when they are chopped right to the ground. Their roots are shallow but incredibly strong, even able to penetrate through rock. The roots draw water from soil that quickly dries but receives enough moisture to keep the tree hydrated.

I remember seeing a very old olive tree on a pilgrimage in Spain. The trunk was huge and split in various directions about midway up, laden with foliage that reminded me of new life.

The psalmist has me thinking about olive trees and their persistence. I think of times in my life when my roots have been very shallow; when I have felt like I was planted in very dry soil. I didn’t recognize then, that even in dry soil, there is water for me to draw if I seek it out. And there were also days when I felt like I had been chopped right down to the ground.

That pruning, while sometimes painful, has always been a blessing. Thankfully, the Lord’s love for me as His beloved daughter enables me to sprout back. When I quiet myself, put my humanness aside, throw my hands in the air, and admit that I am powerless and need Him, He always covers me in the foliage of new life.

Recently I have been reminded of the true meaning of JOY: Jesus, Others, You. If I always put Jesus first, I will be happy and reap the promised fruit. In my immaturity, I used to think that meant I would get everything I wanted. As I mature in my Christianity, I now understand that the promised fruit and everything “going well” with me is the peace I experience when I accept the Lord’s will and abide in His ways.

Today as I looked around my table, I saw the promised fruit, and felt that peace and joy. I saw a husband who is deeply faithful and loves me as Christ loves the Church; children who, while not consciously living their faith, are drawn to our home and our table, and seek out our prayer and counsel. And at the centre, I saw a child who reaches to hold our hands before each meal, trying to join in the words of our grace prayer with us before saying, “AaaaaaMEN” with a huge smile on her face. This same child wanted her own rosary placed in the olive wood bowl where her grandfather and I keep ours, and brings each set of rosary beads to us, placing them in our respective hands, and repeats the Hail Mary when we pray it with her.

Our trunk is sprouting new shoots.

The roots have penetrated the rock that was my hardened, human heart, watered by the love of a child. I am now consciously aware of where the true living water is, and when I drink from it regularly, how abundantly blessed I am, living in the Lord’s promised prosperity.

Four thousand years from now, I want to know that when someone traces our family’s tree, they will see that it was rooted in faith; pruned, sprouted, and blessed abundantly because we chose to walk in His ways.

Sandy Graves

2 Comments

Alana

11/11/2020 08:07:37 am

Sandy, thank you so much for this beautiful reflection. One of my favourite places when I visited the Holy land just over 2 years ago was the Garden of Goethesemane because I felt it was one of the places that had probably changed the least since Jesus was there in agony. And it was filled with olive trees. Some of which had likely been there when Jesus was. It was so powerful. When I was there one side of the garden had lots of activity - ladders, tarps, garden activity. There’s a plaque near this activity that in part says Lord, I don’t always understand You, but I trust You. On the other side of the garden, laid out with stones on the ground in large letters, is the word PEACE. God revealed to me, standing there and deepened in reflection since, that in the midst of activity, labour, even agony - there is always peace when we trust Him (even when we don’t understand) and follow His will - as you say Sandy - Jesus, Others, You. Lord, help me to always remember this and live it out. Amen. So grateful for this beautiful ministry of incredible women 😊🙏🏻💕xo

Lori

13/11/2020 11:28:26 am

Sandy, it is a true gift to receive the grace of witnessing new shoots sprouting in our midst! I was so encouraged by this: "Their roots are shallow but incredibly strong, even able to penetrate through rock." May my faith be as fervent and resiliant as the Olive tree, cutting through obstacles with persistence, and arriving at His Living Waters. Amen.