Spring Gardening

My friend Jeanne just dropped off the roots of some wild raspberries for us to plant. "They will spread on their own," she said.  (I silently doubted her claim knowing that my thumb has never been green.)

Nonetheless, I became excited at the thought of the boys having the experience of picking their own fruit, and I started to investigate where I might plant them. The thought of having to trim them back one day or prune them seems nearly impossible as they sit like barren branches in a box, the roots tangled together in little clumps of soil.

One of the most fascinating aspects of science on the neuroplasticity of the brain is that our brain naturally prunes itself. The following Edutopia article gives a wonderful explanation of how meaningful the process of learning can be through repeated activity as “neurons that wire together fire together.” 

https://www.edutopia.org/neuroscience-brain-based-learning-neuroplasticity

Similarly, our brain will eventually eliminate or prune pathways that we no longer use. The implications for this have been applied by passionate educators who have the transformed the morale and culture of their classrooms as students become motivated to learn with a growth mindset, believing in the science that their intelligence is not fixed. 

As Catholics we know that our bodies, mind, and spirit are intricately woven in God’s design. Often times the mystery and order of the physical world helps us to transcend the spiritual through contemplative reflection. What then does this science mean for us in our spiritual growth?

John 15: 1-5,11

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower.  He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and every one that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit.

You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you.

Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me.

I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing…

“I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.”

It is no surprise that scientists in the 1990’s discovered with new technologies at their disposal what Jesus Christ told us two thousand plus years ago. True joy is only attainable when connected to the vine of Truth. 

He himself prunes our spirit (and in fact has already done so through our baptism!) so our joy may be complete. Yet, this is not a passive gift from our Creator. If science informs us that we must work diligently through repetitive action to create synapses that widen the highway of our intellect and move us toward mastery of learning targets, so then we must work that much harder at intentional, repetitive habits that lead us to our unknowable potential, a virtuous life, and sainthood. 

On the contrary, imagine the tangled mess that our lives become when we let our vices take over and sin begins to grow the sense of anxiety, stress, and helplessness we feel. It is wild and suffocating and separates us from the radiance of the "Son." We can all put a finger on periods in our past in which we have not taken the time to actively, intentionally prune our Spirit and chaos disrupts our lives. 

Imagine if in unison, collaborating with God’s grace through our baptismal call, how we might transform ourselves, our joy, our relationships, and our world if we became intentional about designing our unique roadmap, intellectual and spiritual, and then open our eyes to God’s will in our lives. 

We have less than two weeks until we enter into the Triduum - the passion, death, and resurrection of our Lord. Two weeks until we renew our baptismal promises and become renewed in His glory. Let’s be intentional with these remaining days, focusing on our habits, our thoughts, and our repeated efforts.

 If you are like me, then you might see yourself as the barren raspberry branch, with tangled roots waiting to have the master gardener choose the best place that you might be planted. What fruit will you yield? Let's get busy preparing the soil to plant the seeds of God's grace.  

“I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.”