July 30
The Church is a garden extending over the whole world
hrist became
all things in order to restore all of us in himself. The man Christ received
the mustard seed which represents the kingdom of God; as man he received
it, though as God he had always possessed it. He sowed it in his garden,
that is in his bride, the Church. The Church is a garden extending over
the whole world, tilled by the plough of the gospel, fenced in by stakes
of doctrine and discipline, cleared of every harmful weed by the labor
of the apostles, fragrant and lovely with perennial flowers: virgins' lilies
and martyrs' roses, set amid the pleasant verdure of all who bear witness
to Christ and the tender plants of all who have faith in him.
Such then is the mustard seed which Christ sowed in his garden. When
he promised a kingdom to the patriarchs the seed took root in them; with
the prophets it sprang up, with the apostles it grew tall, in the Church
it became a great tree putting forth innumerable branches laden with gifts.
And now you too must take the wings of the psalmist's dove, gleaming gold
in the rays of divine sunlight, and fly to reap for ever among those sturdy,
fruitful branches. No snares are set to trap you there; fly off, then,
with confidence and dwell securely in its shelter.
From John E. Rotelle, O.S.A., Tradition Day by Day: Readings from
Church Writers. Augustinian Press. Villanova, PA, 1994.
HTML text prepared by David P. Steelman
