THESE days, I am deeply grateful to the locals for sharing with me the fruits of their gardens.
Growing of vegetables has once again become popular. There is something very fulfilling in eating fresh vegetables that you have nurtured and cultivated with your own hands.
This weekend we celebrate the beginning of August, and with it comes the harvest. In Celtic times, this season of Lughnasa was an occasion of thanksgiving. The Celtic people burnt huge fires, danced and celebrated many rituals, as they thanked God for the food and sustenance that nourished them as they faced the darker and more dangerous months of the year.
Harvest time is indeed a time of rich blessing, a time to gather all that has been planted and cared for since the early spring. There can be no harvest without all the necessary tilling, planting, pruning, weeding and nourishing that accompany any fruit that ripens into something good and wholesome.
Perhaps this harvest time is an opportunity for us all to acknowledge the fruits that we all have in the depth of our being, fruits that take a long time to grow and mature into the beautiful personality and unique qualities that are particular to all our stories. There is the gift of grandparents who embody the story of every harvest, and parents who respond so generously to the needs of their children.
Parenting, I’m sure, in many ways could be likened to tending the needs of the vineyard: it is constant, demanding, most challenging and in many ways totally dependent on the unconditional generosity and reservoir of love that provides for the needs of family life. I am often truly inspired by the time and indeed sacrifices that so many wonderful parents make for their children in order to allow them to grow and realise the best possible harvest for their family. No fruit or talent can realise it is potential without effort and work.
Last week, the editorial in this paper commented on the dysfunction within family life that may well manifest itself in shocking behaviour as well as violence and intimidation on our streets. Having children is one thing; rearing them with balanced and proper values is a much more responsible and challenging task.
Parenting is a role that is so very important for our communities to grow in the best way. There is a crisis of parenting and a breakdown in family life that needs to be addressed and supported. Parents have to nurture their talented and gifted children. In the very small minority where this is not happening, we see the effects on our streets, where anti-social behaviour is causing chaos in many communities.
Hard work and genuine effort will always produce a good result, and this is true in all our life experience, from our gardens to our souls. St Paul puts this very well when he said: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith and now there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness and the gift of everlasting life”.
Our God invites us to persevere and continue to nurture all the many good gifts and talents that we all possess. Perhaps in the coming week, when we walk or drive past a field of crops being harvested, or simply walk by an apple tree, we may look upon and marvel at the living gift that is the harvest. May our good God nourish and protect all parents.