Are there any people here today who like to grow plants and be in your garden?  I know it may seem strange to talk about a garden at this time of the year, especially the last few weeks with the constant stream of snow events.

I’ve done a lot of planting over my life.

 When you plant a tree or bush, you have to prepare the soil. One of the most important steps is to dig a hole big enough for the plant and its roots to expand and grow out. The roots do two things; they provide the plant with nourishment and secondly, stability or strength so it can grow and survive the elements.  

Our lives are like planting a tree… a bush… or flowers. By our nature, we all have a big hole in our soul and we try to fill it with something or someone. We hope something will take root and give us a sense of purpose and satisfy that deep longing in our soul.    

All of the readings and the Responsorial Psalm give us guidance to the right and wrong ways to fill that hole. The common message is this: Trust in the Lord and allow him to fill that hole in your soul.  

Our first reading from Jeremiah is clear that there are two answers when it comes to trust. You either trust and hope in the Lord or you trust and hope in things of this world. That’s what Jeremiah means when he says, “trust in human beings”. Don’t get me wrong, it’s okay to trust people, but we need to trust the Lord first and over everything else.  Jeremiah provides a clear picture of what our lives will be like based on where we place our trust. I prefer to be the tree and not the barren bush in the desert. 

When I go out on a lake or river, it’s interesting to see the angles at which the trees grow along the shore. I wonder how they grow like that without falling into the water. They can grow and thrive because their roots are buried deep into the ground and those roots grow toward the source they need to survive, the water. 

That’s how we are to love Jesus. We need to plant ourselves very close to him. By placing all our trust in Jesus, our roots grow deep into his love for us. His love is the food we require to live a fruitful and meaningful life. With our roots firmly planted in Him, we can survive any of the challenges we encounter in life. And those challenges will come to each of us.

Jesus has a similar message for us in the Gospel. I heard a great commentary about the line, “and raising his eyes towards his disciples, he said”.   The comment was: Jesus is looking at us as he speaks. So often we read the Gospels as a third-party observer, but we need to remember that Jesus is speaking directly to us.  

It may seem strange for us to hear Jesus say that those who are poor, or hungry, or weeping, or hated because of him, are blessed. Or woe to those who are rich, filled, or laughing. But we see things in our limited human understanding, not as Jesus sees everything for all time.

Do we prioritize the want for wealth or riches or do we strive for holiness? Do we prioritize the desire to satisfy the longings of the body or are we hungry for the love of Jesus? Do we prioritize the want for emotional highs or the joy only God can offer? Do we prioritize the desire for honor or praise from others or do look to do the Father’s will without being noticed? Remember, all  of these things of this world will fade away, but Jesus is with us forever.  

As my mom often said to us,  “your reward will be great, if not in this world, the next”.  We can give up something now for something much greater in heaven. We know our every desire for happiness will be fulfilled in heaven. 

In a commentary from Peter Kreeft, he quotes Saint Augustine.  I think it sums up our readings today and the consequences of our choices to live our life. St. Augustine said,  “If you have God, you have everything, even if you don’t have anything else; if you have everything else but you don’t have God, you have nothing at all; and the one who has God plus everything else, doesn’t have any more than the one who has God alone.”

When we trust in the Lord and not the things of this world, we are blessed. When we trust in the world and not Jesus, woe to us.

Just like when you plant that tree or bush, make room for Jesus to fill that hole in your soul. Allow the roots of your activities, your words and your hopes to grow towards him. Place all your trust and hope in Him. And don’t worry if you don’t grow perfectly straight; your foundation will be strong and you can endure all things because you will draw all you need from the source of everything, which is God.