It’s one of those laborious jobs that emits a large *sigh* from me as I bend down…again and again…to pluck the weeds that threaten to overtake what little garden I have managed to keep going year after year. You have to nip them in the bud, so to speak, removing them as they pop up instead of waiting until there is so many that you don’t have a clue where to begin….an insurmountable task that you may give up on completely. The longer you leave them, the deeper they take root, the more they outnumber the flowers, the harder they are to get rid of. Some will automatically submit as you pull them up easily out of the ground. Others need to be loosened with a weeding tool…one that reaches the deep roots.
…snip, snip, dig and pull…and sometimes replace…with a new flower.
It’s not all that quite different from the garden of our soul…the garden where the weeds of imperfections, habits, and sins have taken root in a garden not very well tended sometimes. It is also a laborious task..one that continues for the rest of our life…yet it is a task motivated by love. These imperfections need to also be nipped in the bud before they become habitual…numerous. Some are easily snipped and disposed of with a little effort…some are so deep that despite our best efforts…only the Divine Gardener can uproot them. It can be painful…it is purifying. St. John of the Cross states in The Dark Night that “…cut off superficially, these roots, sooner or later, send forth shoots in a new direction…No one can be freed from the roots of his faults without passing through the painful night of the spirit.”
Our efforts are needed…necessary. We can begin to snip these imperfections…pull out the habits…help dig up the root of our sins. We can replace a habitual imperfection or vice with a virtue…a beautiful flower. In The Spiritual Canticle, St. John compares the soul in union with God as a “bed in flower, made from the flowers of virtues…”.
In this bed, the virtues, that is the flowers, will become numerous, defending the garden bed of the soul from the weeds until they become so weak, they can no longer thrive within us.
And then the soul will flower, its scent alluring God…and He will then delight in the garden of our soul.
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So true! This deeper meaning of “weeding” comes to mind every time I work in the garden. Thank you for capturing it so beautifully in words, Theresa.
Thanks Jeanine! I love the imagery…it is perfect. Maybe it makes weeding a little easier to do : )
Coming back into the church has really made me ‘weed’ the garden. Humility for sure! I really love reading your entries on this blog Theresa. You ladies have certainly inspired me. Sometimes we reach some very difficult places while weeding.
Thank you Samantha…very much appreciated!
We are in good company here…I hope you will post soon too : )
I actually did send a post to the contact page. I wasn’t sure if that is how I should post!
Jenny will schedule it in…no worries : ) You did the right thing.
God bless her juggling a newborn with six other souls and maintaining this wonderful, inspired space!!
no kidding! 7 babes. I have two and I wonder how you gals do it sometimes. Blessings to you mommies.
Another thoughtful and inspiring post, Theresa! I too tend to ponder about such things while weeding my gardens. In the early part of the season, I dread it, but, as time goes on it gets to be an enjoyable way to pass time
Thanks for sharing!
As long as there is a cool breeze, I don’t mind the weeding LOL! Forget it when the humidity kicks in.
But we can’t give up then can we? Just as in the spiritual life, when things become difficult and we are discouraged, the temptation to give up can be so tempting.
Even in the heat…we have to get in there and dig!
Theresa this is great!
Thanks Ann. It is always a pleasure to see you and hear your kind words : )
I am glad you will be following along on my blog…I am very blessed.
Theresa, this is wonderful. Definitely worth pondering and praying with for a (long) while. Marvelous analogy. Thanks for sharing what St. John of the Cross wrote about roots.. that if they’re cut off superficially, they sooner or later send forth shoots in new directions. Such wisdom! “No one can be freed from the roots of his faults without passing through the painful night of the spirit.” Oh yes.
So love my dear St. John of the Cross…thank God for him!!
Funny, I wasn’t planning on it, but found myself outside yanking a ton of weeds from around our Blessed Mother statue…I was pretending I was doing it to myself LOL!
Lovely post, Theresa. I knew it was from you as I began reading the first paragraph. I always think about imperfections and virtues when I am working in my garden. The weeds seem never ending, much like my imperfections. I really like your writing and your Carmelite spirit. Keep writing. I haven’t posted anything in quite some time, but today I will link to this post on my blog. Happy gardening!
LOL! I love when people say that they know it’s me by the first line.
Thank you for linking. I am much more relaxed these days about posting. Some weeks I can’t get the thoughts down quick enough, others…I am just plain emptied!
Thank you for such kind words.