The concept of God as a gardener is nothing new.  The book of Genesis tells us that God "planted a garden in Eden," and strolled through creation "at the time of the evening breeze."  Later in the Bible, the Gospel of Matthew includes a parable that portrays God as a sower who spreads the seeds of the Word far and wide in the hopes that they will take root in our lives.  This parable of the sower and the seed helps provide a helpful metaphor for understanding God and our response to God in the life of faith. 

In every moment and event of our lives, God plants seeds of spiritual significance in our souls.  Our challenge is to prepare the soil of our lives to nurture these seeds of faith so that they may take root and help us grow closer to God.  By tapping into the spiritual practices revealed in Scripture and throughout Christian tradition, we come to embrace what God the Gardener is doing in our lives and, in turn, to show God's grace to the world.  The healthier we are, the more abundant will be the fruits of our love, hope, joy, and kindness.

The moments of change and transition are an important, religious time.  Each involves work, relationships, and self.  We are reminded that preparation is necessary if we want to achieve the desired outcome.  They are all part of the ongoing goodness of the process of creation which is not finished yet (or ever in this life). 

I have adopted in my priesthood and ministry the image of the gardener as one that reminds me that as the Church's minister I am part of God's wonderful work of planting, pruning, weeding, and sometimes fertilizing the garden God entrusts to us; for the gardener never works for their own benefit.  Together the ongoing work of creation and ministry and the fruitfulness of the Gospel parable continue; parish celebrations and ministries are one way this happens; this web site through its outreach is another.

We welcome you to join us in person at any time, to contact us, or to know that you are remembered in our prayers.  May the connections you make here help you to grow in faith, find a home with us, or be the beginning of realizing the potential God has planted in you.  May God's blessings and peace take root in your lives and bear fruit and yields of thirtyfold, sixtyfold, or hundredfold.

          See you in the Garden,
                     Fr. Craig