Like A Verdant Cypress Tree
I will heal their defection, says the LORD,
I will love them freely;
for my wrath is turned away from them.
I will be like the dew for Israel:
he shall blossom like the lily;
He shall strike root like the Lebanon cedar,
and put forth his shoots.
His splendor shall be like the olive tree
and his fragrance like the Lebanon cedar.
Again they shall dwell in his shade
and raise grain;
They shall blossom like the vine,
and his fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon. Hosea 14:5-8
I will love them freely;
for my wrath is turned away from them.
I will be like the dew for Israel:
he shall blossom like the lily;
He shall strike root like the Lebanon cedar,
and put forth his shoots.
His splendor shall be like the olive tree
and his fragrance like the Lebanon cedar.
Again they shall dwell in his shade
and raise grain;
They shall blossom like the vine,
and his fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon. Hosea 14:5-8
Jesus said to his Apostles: “Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves. But beware of men, for they will hand you over to courts and scourge you in their synagogues, and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake as a witness before them and the pagans. When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say. You will be given at that moment what you are to say. Matthew 10:16-19
Piety
When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you to all truth.
(John 16:13)
Study
The poetic image from the wisdom literature offered by the Prophet Hosea reminds us of relationship. Not only is God repairing the relationship with humanity, Hosea puts that into very concrete images that people understand.
Life was a daily struggle in the desert between the people and the environment. Hosea promises that when we have a right relationship with God, it is like when we have a right relationship with the environment. The images reflect that: a verdant cypress tree, a lily in bloom, a fragrant cedar in Lebanon, productive fields that yield grain and grapes.
The “verdant cypress tree” from today’s reading in the Hebrew Bible presents us with a symbol of lasting life. This is the opposite of the sacred trees of the Baal cult which is a site of prostitution and sin.
The notes in the NABRE remind us that these good intentions promise a reversal of Israel’s sins: no more reliance on “Assyria,” i.e., on foreign alliances, on human power, and on idolatry. If Israel will just trust in the Lord alone, all things will be put in order. The Lord provides the “fruit” (peri) to Israel.
The Gospel drives home that we can only trust in the Lord because people will turn on us. God will not.
Action
When I am in South Florida, I usually will make a point of visiting one of the galleries that exhibit the photographic prints of Clyde Butcher. Dubbed the “Ansel Adams of the East,” Clyde’s work celebrates his one-ness with the environment where he lives: The Everglades, the Florida Keys, Big Cypress National Park and more.
In a gallery when you see these images enlarged to the size of a wall, it is almost like driving through the parks or the Keys.
In 1986, Clyde’s 17-year-old son Ted was killed by a drunk driver. After which Clyde found solace in the wilderness of the Big Cypress National Preserve, where the mysterious, spiritual experience of being close to nature helped to restore his soul. Resolving to relinquish his ties to color photography, he destroyed his color work and vowed to use only black and white film. He purchased an 8″x10″ view camera and enlarger.
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| Big Cypress National Preserve by Clyde Butcher |
When I think about someone who is at one with his environment, Clyde Butcher comes to mind. His comments about the above picture are indicative of the connection:
Big Cypress National Preserve is my home, so I’m very partial to its beauty. No matter where I go in the Big Cypress, photographic opportunities abound. On this summer day, when Niki and I were hiking out in the grassy plains, the beauty of the water, grass and cypress trees all seemed to express what the whole ecosystem of South Florida is about. I couldn’t resist taking a photograph of the place I care about so much.[i]
When have you felt that connection with the environment? Were you hiking up the side of Old Rag Mountain? Were you looking up at the stars from the side of a lake? Were enjoying the sun and waves on the side of a beach? Were you picking ripe tomatoes from your garden?
When have you felt that connection with the Lord? Inside church during the sacraments or beyond?
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