Contemplative Haven

Apr 25 2009

Flowers

Published by gabrielle at 2:54 pm under Hope

“What Flowers Indicate”, by Father F. Lasance [taken from "My Prayer Book"]

“I have always noticed that wherever you find flowers, no matter whether in a garret or in a palace, it is a pretty sure sign that there is an inner refinement of which the world is not cognizant. I have seen flowers cultivated and cherished by some of the lowest and poorest of our people. Where these emblems of purity are found, you may rest assured that they represent a hope, and speak of a goodness of heart not to be found where they are absent.”

“Making the Desert Bloom”, by Catherine Doherty [adapted from her book, "The People of the Towel and the Water", reproduced in the Madonna House Restoration Newsletter, July-August 2008]

“God so loved us that he sent his only Son to redeem us, and in his immense tenderness he keeps on expressing himself to us in a thousand ways. Flowers are just one example of his pouring out his beauty to us.

Flowers give hope, returning each spring as they do. Flowers give courage. Flowers heal. Flowers are harbingers of joy.

Long before the gentle Christ came to earth, flowers were part of every religion, used as symbols to express faith. And when he came, he referred to them to teach us about poverty, love, and trust in Divine Providence.

Flowers speak the silent language of lovers.”

[For Catherine Doherty's beautiful article in its entirety, please visit here, at the Madonna House website, and perhaps also consider subscribing to the Restoration Newsletter for yourself or a friend; it's only $10.00 a year, and is one way of helping the Apostolate.]

6 responses so far

6 Responses to “Flowers”

# Cathyon 25 Apr 2009 at 3:24 pm

Flowers certainly are a sign of hope and beauty. God is gentle and kind. Flowers are a reminder of that.
# Carolon 25 Apr 2009 at 4:47 pm

My poor Memere could and did grow lilacs and pansies wherever she went– poor people do move house a lot. And even when they stop hoping, they give hope, as Mother Teresa said of those around her in Calcutta. Memere is probably the biggest reason I love lilacs and pansies — one knows one is home, then..but irregardless, who cannot say “hi” when we see a little pansy-face? And a rose, well.. that little mystery of beauty is not only a picture of a human womb, but the divine one as well. Even a fallen tulip petal -soft, cool, smooth and fragrant..what isn’t it a promise of?

Oh, hope.. yes. Imagine Spring being eternity-long. I’ll go read Catherine’s article.. isn’t she a Venerable by now?
# lucyon 25 Apr 2009 at 8:55 pm

a lovely tribute on this spring day. thank you.
# Piaon 26 Apr 2009 at 2:38 pm

One year a young couple came to town to live. They had been living in Rome and were heroin addicts. They had no place to stay, so the parish allowed them to live in a storage room for a few weeks until the town could find some kind of accomodation in public housing. The girl in particular, was strikingly beautiful. She had gorgeous hair and you could tell she still cared about how it looked, so there was some hope she could be saved. The other sign of hope that she could overcome her addiction was the flowers she kept on the stoop of the building where their room was. Unfortunately, after a few years, she died, I believe of hepatitis. The only good news about her at that point (and it was wonderful news) was that her mother, who lived a few miles away, had begun taking care of her when she got very ill. It was touching to know that the girl had regained a form of dignity before she died, and that it was her mother that did this for her. In her last years, she ‘d been known to try to jump off the bridge or throw herself under passing cars. I think those flowers were a sign of a tenderness and sweetness that she was instilled with and knew how to give, and of the tender and sweet way that God loved her until the end.
# MCon 26 Apr 2009 at 7:59 pm

The beauty of watching a plant come to life in the spring and watch the buds slowly unfurl and open to the suns rays, reaching not only for the warmth but the very light that brings about the beauty of the blossom.

How often we too are like this in the spring when after our fasting and await the resurrection that we too finally come to life reaching for the light of the Risen Lord.

Thank you Gabrielle for this gentle nudge of faith.
# Gabrielleon 27 Apr 2009 at 1:37 am

Thank you all for such beautiful comments. The article is really thoughtful, and Catherine touches on many more aspects than I could bring out here – one of them being that, along with their promise of hope and joy in springtime, flowers inside the house, or a potted plant of any kind, brings this same hope and joy in the midst of winter. Pia, thanks for sharing that bittersweet story; I can’t help but agree with your last line, and as Catherine wrote, God “keeps on expressing himself to us in a thousand ways.”