God Loves Us

My mom loves her garden. For as long as I can remember and to this day you can find her in her garden clearing away weeds, removing withering or dying branches or pruning back flowers that have long since dried out. When she cannot be tending to her garden because of weather, wind, or illness she will be visibly sad. My mother has been known to water her flowers, while it is raining, in a thunderstorm. That’s my mom, always loving her garden.


In this week’s gospel, I am reminded of the love that God has for us and how He gently tends to the garden of our lives. As God cleans and prunes the branches to produce more fruit, we too must consider those items in our lives that may require a good cleaning or pruning? Are there things in your life that prevent you from spending quality time loving your family? Do you spend more time on devices than in conversation with others. Maybe, we do so much that we are not producing as well as we could.


Speaking from personal experience, we can sometimes resist the need for change. We want to hold tight to those things that we believe have some value or that satisfy a need we have. Our thoughts, beliefs, and human needs are not God’s and when we put our faith in Jesus, He will provide the nourishment we need to look at those areas of our lives that require change and make those hard decisions. Change can be painful, but God meets us where we are. A good place to start is in prayer. How much time do you spend in the silent presence of God?


My mom sends me pictures of her flowers that have pushed through the winter’s snow marking the beginning of spring. She sends me pictures of those flowers that have grown in abundance due to her tender care or those that have returned after a long
absence.

My mom loves her garden and I know God feels the same way about each of us.


Siempre Adelante,



​Dave Gutierrez
Parishioner 

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