Seeds That Have Grown Into Trees

A solitary tree stands strong and mighty on the top of a hill
Struggling and prevailing against the severe drought in California
Where brown is the new green.

What an awesome thought
that and how all this strength and might came from a tiny seed.
I wonder if the seed had any inkling what might become of it
when it was first planted into the ground.

I had several seed-experiences yesterday with Anabelle.
How events from years long past have bloomed into arboreal splendor,
How an ordinary but repeated encounter became a caring bond,
How seeds can be replanted and grown in a new garden,
All revealing the hidden and mysterious power of God.

Fr. Tony and I were together in the seminary.
We lived together cheek by jowl for four years.
Time and space could not erase those four years.
Instead, the friendship has grown even stronger and sweeter,
And under the shade of our friendship from all those years,
We shared stories: he, of his ministry; I, of my family.

Beverly was a volunteer at our Parish Church
She was the face we always saw when we would come
to request for mass cards or arrange some schedules.
And Beverly’s unfailing smile always made each encounter a joy.
Yet, through it all and unbeknownst to us, she was fighting cancer.
Yesterday, she was laid down to rest – her seed grown into a mighty tree.
Surrounded by loving family and friends. The church was full.

Some five years ago, several  of us former seed-dwellers (seminarians)
wondered how we could make the seeds in us sprout and
for the plants to grow into trees.
We organized AMBON to catch the dew of the Bay Area
and nourish the ideals and values implanted in us.
Now, we take shelter and find comfort under the shade of the tree
Listening to Mother Mary as she speaks her words of wisdom
And to her son as He shows Himself to be there in our midst.

Lord, it is good to give thanks to you.
~ Psalm 92

Jesus said to the crowds:
“This is how it is with the kingdom of God;
it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land
and would sleep and rise night and day
and through it all the seed would sprout and grow,
he knows not how.
Of its own accord the land yields fruit,
first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.
And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once,
for the harvest has come.”

He said,
“To what shall we compare the kingdom of God,
or what parable can we use for it?
It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground,
is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth.
But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants
and puts forth large branches,
so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade.”
With many such parables
he spoke the word to them as they were able to understand it.
Without parables he did not speak to them,
but to his own disciples he explained everything in private.
Mark 4:26-34