Easter Joys & Beauty of the Earth
As we approach Earth Day on April 22nd, and we remain in the Easter season of our liturgical year in April, let us reflect on how the beauties of Creation show us much about our spiritual life.
Living in Florida all my life has made me appreciate our clear blue skies, the ocean, rivers, and lakes, the rich diversity of flowers, shrubs and trees, and the abundance of sunny days year-round. Right now, spring flowers are blooming, trees are budding or greening, and all of nature is proclaiming an abundance of new life.
Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon, who led the first European expedition to Florida in 1513, named the state in tribute to Spain's Easter celebration known as “Pascua Florida,” or Feast of Flowers. Ponce de Leon claimed the land for Spain, calling it La Florida, the Spanish name for flowery, covered with flowers, or abounding in flowers.
One’s personal spirituality may be likened to a garden in which certain virtues, like flowers, are nurtured and encouraged to bloom and grow. On our Congregational seal are pictured two flowers: the Easter lily and violets. The lily represents chastity or purity, and the violets symbolize the virtue of humility. As Sisters of St. Joseph, we publicly profess the vow of chastity, along with vows of poverty and obedience, and we also promise to practice profound humility and cordial charity.
Our founder, Fr. Jean-Pierre Medaille, linked a virtue with each person of the Blessed Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) and the Holy Family (Jesus, Mary, and Joseph). These six virtues are the following: God the Father – holiness; God the Son – humility; Holy Spirit – pure love; Jesus – zeal; Mary – docility to grace; and Joseph – cordial charity.
What are the virtues in your spiritual garden? Can you see how the beauties of creation in spring reflect the abundant love of God for us? Just as we need to care for and nurture the earth to maintain it for future generations, as events like Earth Day remind us, we also need to care for and do things to nurture our virtues - like prayer, spiritual reading, taking time for silence, reflecting on one’s life, attending worship services with a faith community, and perhaps having a spiritual friend or spiritual director. Our virtues are gifts we grow for God and our Dear Neighbor. They are meant to lead us closer to God. The saints, like St. Joseph, show us by their lives that holiness is possible!
