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The Squash Is Ripe
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As I took out my knife, holding a good acorn in my hand, I looked around at the bed of squash -
the leaves were almost dried, the fuit lay on the ground waiting to be picked and another
summer of growing was finished. There were large acorns, small acorns, and middle size. In
another week or so the leaves and plants would all be rooted up and burned - the end of life for
such a plant.
The clematis is in its last bloom. The flowers will all fall, the vines turn brown with the coming
front - this year has started to go on its way. Some clematis did better than others, blooms
were large and beautiful, others, small and hardly noticeable. Flower petals will cover the
ground and in a few weeks they will all disappear. Again the end of its life.
As i looked into the squash bed it was amazing to see just how much variety of fruit there was.
Large, small, medium, just like the clematis, large, small and medium - all had the same
moisture, fertilizer and sunshine, and yet they did not all attain the great expectations of the
grower.
I doubt you ever considered yourself a squash, but you know in many ways we all resemble that
plant. We all get God's moisture and warmth in His love for us. At times we celebrate and jump
with joy over everything He gives us. At other times we hardly recognize Him as He does all he
has done for us. And then we are stunted in our growth, not because of God but because of or
own way of dealing with the wonderful things God has done. And our leaves start to turn, our
steps are not as lively as they once were, our skin is getting to feel loose on its bones and we
can tell that in a while we ill be like the squash, ready for the harvest.
Sometimes when we look at ourselves as parts of creation we can be more aware of the frail
nature of our bodies. In Scripture it says that man is like the grass of the field, here today and
gone tomorrow - and we become attuned to our humanity and our spiritual life. What a
combination God has given us! Far better than the squash or clematis. It dies and vanishes.
We die and live on for all eternity. And yet, unlike the lowly squash, we will continue to fight
with our dying breath to cling on to life, even though the step becomes faltered, the eyes
become fogged and the muscles just don't seem to be the way they used to be. It might be too
late for the warmth and sunlight for the squash, but for us there is that faint glimmer of hope that
God will not let us die without growing to our full potential of His love.
As we are closing down our gardens, putting away our tools, cleaning up the vines and stalks
that used to be full of life, let us also think of those who like this squash, will die this fall, will not
be with us and hopefully have used all the good graces and warmth of God that will open the
doors of heaven for us when the day comes for us to be released from the vine on which we
have been growing.
Let us, like a good plump acorn, like a beautiful purple clematis, use the gifts God has given us
and be ready for the great harvest when it is our time.
©2009 Fr.Louis Schlangen
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