by Sr Martine Zaman
It offers us a “spectacle” at every moment: such varied scenes to contemplate… that we could almost do without any screens!
The natural cycle and the liturgical cycle go hand in hand
Flowers that appear and disappear, shrubs and trees, with their changing colours, illustrate the different liturgical seasons that we celebrate in the chapel. Indeed, each year, the natural cycle and the liturgical cycle go hand in hand.
As our founder, Father Théodore, said:
“There are three books that came from the hand of God, whose treasures of beauty, truth and love you will never exhaust. These three books are: Holy Scripture, the spectacle of nature and the human heart. Study these three books and you will find eternal life.”
The garden that unfolds before our eyes bears witness to centuries of life. Since the 19th century, it has undergone a whole evolution, leaving traces that are still visible today. There is the orchard planted by General San Martin (who lived here from 1834 to 1848), and the rose garden tended by Father Théodore. At the end of the lime tree lined pathway, you’ll come to a statue of Our Lady of Sion, and then there’s the one around which, every 8 September, the sisters used to receive their obédience – their ministries within the Congregation.
The right climate for the Word to take root and grow
As in Genesis (2:15), where God commanded Adam to “cultivate and keep” the Garden of Eden, I have the happy task of taking care of the garden at Grandbourg! There, I live close to the earth, which “speaks” and touches all the human senses. I find there the silence and the right climate for the Word to take root and grow. The song of the birds and the sound of the wind in the trees accompany me.
Are the bouquets in the chapel not an expression of our Eucharistic life: returning to the Source of all that has been given to us?
