The Genesis reading for the First Sunday of Lent (Gen. 2:7-9, 3:1-7) tells us that God “planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and placed there the man whom he had formed. Out of the ground the Lord God made various trees grow that were delightful to look at and good for food, with the tree of life in the middle of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” This garden of paradise was generous gift to Adam and Eve-it was all theirs except for the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the middle of the garden. But then came that serpent-coaxing Eve into tasting the fruit of the forbidden tree, sharing it with her husband, and thus initiating humanity’s cycle of life-long bouts of turning toward and away from God.
Each time I hear this temptation story, there is a little mantra that automatically pops into my head, “The devil made me do it.” Or, ho-hum, another reprimand to be a good little girl and do what God says (or whoever “God” is at that time). But as I listened to this reading today, I recalled God’s creation story (Gen. 1:1-2:2) which so vividly describes God’s creation of day and night, sky, land and sea with every form of vegetation, lights in the dome of the sky, sea monsters, swimming creatures, winged birds, and humanity in God’s image. After six days of this creation work, God took the seventh day off and reflected on the goodness of all that he had created. This reading is sung each year by Sister Lynn Marie and Sister Therese as we begin the Easter Vigil readings on Holy Saturday. In the darkness of the chapel, their angelic voices move us into the beauty of God’s wondrous gift of creation to open our hearts to once again return to God in new life. We imitate God’s pause to look upon the goodness of all creation and life experience. And, of course, the following words from the Exultet sung at the beginning of the Easter Vigil remind us of God’s merciful love throughout salvation history:
“For Christ has ransomed us with his blood,
and paid for us the price of Adam’s sin to our eternal Father!...
“O happy fault, O necessary sin of Adam,
which gained for us so great a Redeemer!
My mind then turned back to the garden. I began to imagine how glorious the garden
must have been. I’ve been blessed in the best of gardens-Callaway, Bellingrath, Butchart in Victoria,
parks and monastery gardens, but I’m sure they cannot compare with the Gardener’s creative masterpiece.
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Butchart Gardens
Victoria, BC |
The image of Mary’s garden in
The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett) might come close to God’s idea of a garden and a message for a Lenten journey. Mary Lenox is sent to live with her uncle at Misselthwaite Manor and is convinced this will not be a happy environment for her. She finds a key to a hidden door which opens up to a secret garden which has been neglected for years. She transforms the garden into her own secret paradise, her place to give her life. In the dark interior of the estate home, she discovers her invalid cousin Colin. She shares her secret paradise with him and he finds new life and is able to walk again. The two of them bring her uncle into the garden and he is transformed also from a reclusive life to a meaningful life and love for his son Colin. The garden’s new life and beauty enable Colin to sing
“The sun is shining-the sun is shining.
That is the Magic.
The flowers are growing-the roots are stirring.
That is the Magic.
Being alive is the Magic-being strong is the Magic.
The Magic is in me-the Magic is in me.
It is in me- the Magic is in me."
Lent is a call to "rest on the seventh day' to reflect on the good, the bad, and the ugly of life experience. It is a time to let go of the bad and ugly and to appreciate and grow ever deeper in the beauty and goodness of God's creation. While the garden of winter recedes and the garden of spring starts bursting in radiant color before our eyes, we begin to experience a re-awakening of God's light-filled Presence. Lent is "to be a journey to a place of stillness, trusting that in the process, growth will take place, transformation will occur, and God will tend the soil of my soul and nurture new life."
(from
Springtime of the Soul, Jackie Schmitz, CSJ)
Resting, reflecting, and being open to the transformation of the Lenten Garden brings us to meet Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane to yet another time of surrender and transformation. If we grasp the meaning of this self-emptying experience, we are then able to discover the Garden of Resurrection at Easter.
The monastery where I dwell is my garden of daily life, my "tent" as St. Benedict calls it in his Rule, the "school of the Lord's service." St. Benedict says that the life of a monk ought to be a continuous Lent. Through our vow of conversion, we strive to grow in new life day after day after day. As we begin to slack off, Lent comes as a wake-up call to start the process of transformation over again, so that we can "look forward to holy Easter with joy and spiritual longing." (Rule of St. Benedict, 49:7)
"Inside everyone
is a great shout of joy
waiting to be born." David Whyte
