And he told them this parable:
“There once was a person who had a fig tree planted in his
orchard,
and when he came in search of fruit on it but found none,
he said to the gardener,
‘For three years I have come in search of fruit on this fig
tree but have found none.
Cut it down.
Why should it exhaust the soil?’
He said to him in reply,
‘Sir, leave it for this year also,
and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize
it,
it may bear fruit in the future.”
Lk 13: 6-9
Planting a seed biologically can be the very least of
fathering. On the other hand: responsibly, lovingly, respectfully, and gently
planting seeds is what fathering is about, when it is the most noble and most
perfectly a reflection of God`s plan for human life and love. Both men and
women are afforded many opportunities to provide for, protect, cultivate, and
nurture the tender shoots of the human spirit. When someone helps a younger person
to understand a little more deeply, respect a little more broadly, or stand
with a greater sense of awe, she or he can participate in the kind of fathering
that has been traditionally associated with creator God.
In the love of Jesus,
Fr. Lenny Zamborsky
June16, 1996
For Reflection:
Not everyone is a
parent, but what opportunity in your life has lent itself to providing for,
protecting, cultivating, and nurturing the tender shoots of the human spirit?
Our good and loving God has called me from a young age to be a light to children. I am deeply aware of our responsibility to illustrate love to them. Mike and I have a profound connection with our own children. God commands us to have these little children come to us so we can show Christ to them
ReplyDeleteAlthough I'm not a parent, God has blessed me with many opportunities to help those who are younger: as the oldest girl in a family of 9 children, as godmother of 4, as aunt of 26, and great-aunt of 9...as well as a teacher in grades 4 through 12, and a pastoral minister who loved being with families in the parish and homeless families in IHN/Family Promise. Reflecting on all those opportunities makes me grateful!
ReplyDeleteTina, you are Christ's light to the children at the After Care Center. You are their one constant in their lives that illustrates God's love to them daily. I know some days and children are trying, but it is you they turn to. I so admire you my friend. Oh, and your children turned out ok too.
ReplyDeleteTina, you are Christ's light to the children at the After Care Center. You are their one constant in their lives that illustrates God's love to them daily. I know some days and children are trying, but it is you they turn to. I so admire you my friend. Oh, and your children turned out ok too.
ReplyDelete