God’s love for us leaps off the pages of today’s Sacred Scripture! Imagine for a moment a young stag or gazelle peering through the lattice that stands between he and his beloved. He loves her, he wants her, he has to have her! Jumping up and down, running back and forth along the lattice in unimaginable excitement he can’t take his eyes off his beautiful one. All he wants to do, and has wanted to do for quite some time now, is to burst through that darn lattice and embrace her. He wants to rescue her and take her home to his lovely garden full of everything her heart desires. Filled with the energy of young love he jumps and leaps trying to catch her eye. Please see me his heart cries out! His eyes are fixed on his beloved beautiful one. Jittering with anticipatory excitement he can barely contain himself!
Our Love Struck Little Stag
You see, our little love struck stag has been watching his beautiful beloved struggle from his side of the lattice for quite some time now – around two thousand years actually. Evil predators have attacked her and she has suffered assaults at their hands. She has cried out and begged to be rescued. Through her trials something inside of her knows that her rescuer and object of her love is nearby. Yet, she cannot see or feel him so she falsely believes he has abandoned her. She turns her heart to others for rescue, only to be dissapointed again and again. Watching his beautiful one struggle and sink into despair time and time again has left marks on our young stag’s heart and tears in his eyes. He loves her so.
Unable to see her little stag on the other side of the lattice her despair persists. Her rescuer and source of all bliss is so near, yet so far. The little stag is wise though. He knows her struggles are refining his beloved for something great – residency in his Kingdom. So he must allow the refining to continue until her eyes and ears open to him. Oh, if she would only glance over and right now now and see his face, and hear his voice, he would rescue her! He would burst through that darn lattice, sweep her up, plop her up on his back and carry his beautiful beloved to the secret divine garden. Then at last, they could experience a romance of epic proportions.
Now Enters Jesus Christ
Finally, the time is right. The beloved’s trials have given her new wisdom and vision. She sees her little stag and she recognises his voice. Finally he hears what he has longed for – her yes. One yes is all he needs! Our little stag breaks through the lattice and enters her world. He leaves his beautiful Kingdom garden, knowing that he will now walk with her merging their gardens as they become one.
Her trials provided perfect fertilizer for the ground in her world. The richness of the ground has become perfect soil for her virtues to thrive in. Her virtues shine as beautiful flowers across the land. Even the fig trees are producing fruit. (I invite you to click here and read my reflection titled Symbolism and The Fig Tree to learn more.) Yet, the other plants, while they have flowered, still need to produce fruit. Her world needs a gardener – her world needs the little stag.
Tilling Her Garden
So what does all this mean? Well, the fig tree represents the Jewish people – the beloved object of the little stag’s affection. The little stag – well, he is our Triune God who has been patiently beckoning his beloved. The time has come and the fig tree offers its fruit for the world. The fig tree represents the Jewish people. While it produces fruit, it still needs pruning. Its dead branches do not produce life and our gardener (the little stag) must prune them. The other plants represent the rest of the peoples of the earth, the soon to be adopted sons and daughters of God. They have not produced fruit yet. However, they have flowered and they need to be pruned and cared for so that they can produce divine fruit.
The Blessed Fruit of the Womb
Jesus, God himself (our little stag) came into the world of his beloved as the fruit of the womb of the Virgin. Her womb, already fertilized and flowering with love and virtues, received this prefect fruit. As we know, Mary was a devout Jew who turned her eyes toward her young stag. Once their eyes met, he leapt through the lattice and obliterated it. No more separation between him and his beloved. His garden became her garden and her garden became his. He in she and she in him for all eternity.
Our Garden
Jesus’ coming into the world changed everything. No more lattice, no more separation, no more waiting. Our little stag lives among us. He dwells within us, and we in him, tending the garden together. Our gardening tools are the virtues, and we use them best when we practice loving kindness towards our fellow flowers in the garden. Some of the flowers are full and beautiful, some are little buds, and yes, some are weeds. All have a place and our divine Gardener tends and cares for all of them through you and me.
During this Advent Season let’s tend the garden together as we love and forgive one another in loving kindness. Our little stag, Jesus Christ, is our perfect gardener and he will indeed show us how to tend our garden – his garden.
Global Light for Christ (GLFC)
If you are trying to love more I invite you to share your petition below. I for one am trying to grow in deeper love for others. Our community, GLFC, is a group of sojourners supporting one another through prayer and love.
I want to thank all of you who post here. When I sit with your petitions, often in the Adoration Chapel at my parish, my heart is deeply touched when I feel both your pain and the love we hold for each other. Even though we are separated by space and time we are together in the living waters of God. What a blessing we have in our community.
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My Book – Understanding The Jesus Code
FREE Kindle version! My Christmas Present to the world.
I have been working hard on the revised version of my book, Understanding The Jesus Code. In it I have added important information on how our personality type effects our spiritual journey into wholeness. The paperback, Kindle, and audio version are all available on Amazon! If you would like to receive a FREE Kindle version please sign up here so I can send you the link: FREE Kindle Version of Understanding The Jesus Code.
God bless all of you. See you next week Friday – Carolyn
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If you would like to learn more about my work and my ministry I invite you to visit my website: CarolynBerghuis.com.
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Mother Mary – pray for us.
God the Father – hold us in your Fatherly love.
Sacred Heart of Jesus – heal us with your divine love.
God the Holy Spirit – immerse us in divine love.
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