Lent is that annual time of year when I am challenged to examine the spiritual path I’m walking on.
Am I even walking on a SPIRITUAL PATH?
To walk a spiritual path presumes there have been choices along the way which keep me focused on what I cannot see. Here is one example.
Why are the leaves on my philodendron plant all facing toward my window? If I turn the plant, then over time the leaves again all face toward the window. Do they have a longing to be outside growing beside that tree in the backyard? Or do they have some inner awareness that their life depends on the light energy coming from outside my window? I am a witness, not of the energy my plant is using for its life but I am a witness of the effect the invisible energy is having on the actions of my plant.
I think our lives are more complicated because we have to CHOOSE to face the direction of the energy we need for our lives. Am I even facing in the direction of the energy I need to walk on a spiritual path? Love is that energy. Life is about experiencing being loved and respected and giving love and respect to another. Life is about relationships, about receiving and about giving. The way I receive and give love energy is a choice I make.
During LENT we witness the life of Jesus; we witness all his loving relationships no matter what the hardships he suffered. His primary gaze was loving obedience to the will of the Father and then actively sharing that love with his followers. In examining my life, I ask myself, “Am I even on that spiritual path with Jesus?”
This Lent, go home and let your plants teach you how to follow the energy you need for saving the life of your soul.
-Sister Elaine Cole, CSJ