After a week of planting a rose bush by our friends in our garden, the rose bush seems to have taken roots in the soil with new sprouts of tender leaves and buds.
During this Holy Week, when violence and war along with uncertainties about peace and settlement still remain in the air, this rose bush is giving a contrary message of hope and life!
This brings a message to dwell upon: It is in giving we receive! A plant when given to the soil, it sprouts.
Goodness begets goodness!
The two events associated with the last Passover, Jesus shared with His disciples are remembered on every Maundy Thursday. The first was a woman pouring a costly perfume on Jesus when Jesus was in the house of Simeon (John 12:1-11)). The second was Jesus washing the feet of His disciples (John 13:5-20) during the last supper.
Both these acts of self giving took place when hostility towards Jesus was explicit from all around including from one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, who plotted to betray Jesus for a financial gain!
Amidst such a betrayal, the words of Jesus to His disciples was: "If I then, the Lord and Teacher washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I gave you an example that you should also do as I did to you (John13: 14-15).
When I saw the rose bush showing signs of growth and flowering in a week, because it was planted, manured and watered, it occurred to me that giving multiplies the outcome!
Often small acts of kindness and thoughtfulness we show to each other bring disproportionate outcome and initiate a chain of goodness to continue! Lives when touched by kindness become giving in attitude and behaviour!
Jesus exceeded in self giving. Jesus made the last supper to be an occasion to reveal Himself fully and humanly!
It is when we sow goodness self-givingly, there is the prospect of new life emerging!
M.C. Mathew(text and photo)
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