December 16/Second Saturday of Advent
Once again, O LORD of hosts, look down from heaven, and see;
Take care of this vine, and protect what your right hand has planted. ~ Psalm 80.15-16
Each spring I enthusiastically launch my annual tomato experiment, trying different breeds and planting strategies to see what will generate the most positive return. Trouble is, as veteran readers of these reflections will know, my attention to the ongoing tasks of fertilizing, watering and weeding is, shall we say, less than perfect; were it not for my vigilant husband, also known as the Constant Gardener, the tomatoes would surely meet an untimely end. The act of planting a garden – like the act of getting married, perhaps – is the easy part. It’s the small daily acts of caring over the long haul that challenge us (I hope I’m more attentive on the marriage front, but you’d have to ask him). Relationships, and gardens, need consistent attention and love in order to survive, let alone flourish. In today’s Psalm, alluding to the catastrophic exile of the Jews, God is depicted as having abandoned the vine he once planted (the preceding verses depict the spoliation of the once-lush vineyard by wild boars and creatures of the field). Whether we believe we deserve it or not, sometimes it can feel as if God has abandoned us, too. For one reason or another — a bad decision, a misstep at work, a relationship that goes off track —misfortunes begin to gnaw at us like those wild boars, and our spirits wilt. The Psalmist reminds us that the life-giving response in desolate times is to cry out to God. Our poet begs God for help, sending up no fewer than four imperatives in these two verses — “Look down,” he cries, and “see;” “take care,” and “protect.” It is God who gave us life, and God who can restore us when we are at risk of withering and dying on the vine. But first, we must ask.
O Lord of all the earth and every living thing, Revive our spirits and strengthen our faith when we falter and grow weak. Amen.
To hear KUP Taldea of the Basque Country sing Aita Donostia’s “Respice de caelo,” click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaNKZ_8d_uQ
For today’s readings, click here: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/121623.cfm
