By Mosese Yacalevu, Columban Seminarian
As a steward of God’s majestic creation in all Her boundless beauty and wonder, I remain ever grateful for the natural flow of life around us. Here at the Columban International House of Studies in Manila, one thing that continues to amaze and inspire me is what I fondly call our Garden of Hope.
After a tiring day at school with all the mental processes, it is always good and refreshing to spend time among the plants and admire the various wavelengths of their response to nature’s cycle of growth. The flowers and vegetables on our balcony and in our garden are a wonderful sight to see, feel and experience. As I often say, they soothe the soul.
But these flowers and vegetables would not thrive without the aid of our compost. I would like to reflect on its life-giving role and the gospel-inspired values it symbolizes.
First and foremost, our compost pile is made up of the leaves, broken branches from the few trees around us, and kitchen wastes like vegetable and fruit peelings. With a little bit of water, natural conditions at hand, manual turning and mixing, and the unpredictability of time, it eventually transforms into rich organic matter. The cycle of life is very well portrayed in this symbiotic relationship.
The broken-down materials give rise to rich organic soil, which beautifully provides a nourishing ground for the seeds and seedlings to grow and flourish abundantly. In this sacred process, we witness the hand of our Creative God who is very much at work in the natural world. We are merely His hands and feet that plant and tend as He pours out the immeasurable graces of life.
However, we should also play our part in terms of watering them, rotating the soil, cultivating – ensuring that whatever is planted is provided with the right environment to grow and produce a hundred-fold of God’s harvest sown within each one. Just like in our relationship with our neighbours, we are called to be present, lend a helping hand and provide them with the necessary elements of love, support and encouragement so they may grow in all of God’s glory.
We are not meant to be just spectators in life. Like the compost pile, with all the initiators giving rise to the final product, and the product flowing back into the cycle of human consumption, we are reminded to be grateful for every facet of our Common Home that sustains us. We are invited to gaze upon the Lord and participate fully in His creation, becoming like leaves, broken branches, vegetable and fruit peelings offered in service to our communities and the world, giving rise to new growth, renewed relationships, and deeper engagement – all for the greater glory of god.
Image above: Mosese (front) with his fellow seminarians.
