My family was going on a walk a few days ago. Halfway through our route we found some flowers that were so stunning that they stopped us in our tracks. The Deptford pink (Dianthus armeria) (which we later found out are an invasive species) was such a bright pink that it almost seemed unnatural. The pictures we took don’t do it justice.
They were both delicate and beautiful. They were also very hardy little flowers that were popping up in a mown lawn. After our walk I started thinking about how we all were amazed by these wild flowers. The Gospel of Matthew came to my mind:
“Why are you anxious about clothes? Learn from the way the wild flowers grow. They do not work or spin. But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was clothed like one of them. If God so clothes the grass of the field, which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith?”
Matthew 6:28-30, NABRE
These flowers were truly clothed in splendor, and it caused me to think about why I often fear so much about the future. I know God had provided for me, and my family. We have had our ups and downs, but we have always had each other and our faith. Over the last few years I have had the opportunity to work with Catholics who have come from countries where Christianity is the extreme minority religion. They have had to put up with real indignities, and sometimes have almost lost their lives. Yet they are some of the most faith filled people I know. I know I should look to them, and the flowers of the field, to work on my trust in God.
