December 13/Second Saturday of Advent
Once again, O LORD of hosts, look down from heaven, and see;
Take care of this vine, and protect what your right hand has planted. ~ Psalm 80.15-16
Each spring I enthusiastically launch the Annual Tomato Experiment, trying different breeds and planting strategies to see what will generate the most positive outcome. Trouble is, as veteran readers of these reflections will know, my attention to the ongoing tasks of fertilizing, watering, and weeding is, shall we say, less than perfect. Were it not for my vigilant husband, a/k/a the Constant Gardener, the tomatoes would undoubtedly meet an untimely end. The act of planting a garden – like the act of getting married, perhaps – is the easy part. It’s maintaining it through daily attentiveness and small acts of caring that ensure sustainability (as I near my 36th wedding anniversary, I believe I am more attentive to the Gardener than to the garden). Relationships, like gardens, need consistent attention and love in order to survive, let alone flourish. Our relationship with God is no exception. In today’s Psalm, alluding to the catastrophic exile of the Jews, God is depicted as having abandoned the vine he once planted, his once lush vineyard destroyed by wild boars and creatures of the field. Sometimes it can feel as if God has abandoned us, too. For one reason or another — a bad decision, a work setback, a relationship that goes off track —misfortunes begin to gnaw at us like those wild boars, and our spirits wilt. The Psalmist reminds us that the most fruitful step we can take in such times is to cry out to God. He begs for divine help, uttering no fewer than four imperatives in these two verses — “Look down,” he cries, and “see;” “take care,” and “protect.” It is God who gave us life, and God who can restore us when we are at risk of withering and dying on the vine. But first, we must ask.
O Lord of all the earth and every living thing, Revive our spirits and strengthen our faith when we falter and grow weak. Amen.
For today’s readings, click here: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/121325.cfm
To hear KUP Taldea sing “Respice de caelo” by 20th-century Spanish priest and composer Aita Donostia, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaNKZ_8d_uQ
