Nature as our teacher

Monday, September 30, 2024

*Dolores Hanley McDiarmid

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St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of nature and animals, has always been one of my favorite saints because of his love for and his relationship with nature. Having the ability to see God’s fingerprints in all of creation, St. Francis could not help but have a great passion for nature and animals. 

One of my favorite stories about St. Francis is when he preached to the birds, and they gathered around him. Then, after his sermon, the birds began to sing. Have you ever wondered what they were saying to St. Francis?

While sitting in the backyard one day I began to think about how nature and animals can teach us. God created everything to be used for his purposes. Initially, God created the plants, flowers, and animals for us to enjoy with him. Is it possible that he not only wants us to pay attention to ways we can be better stewards of the earth, but also to observe nature for what it can teach us?

Consider the early morning hours when the sun is rising or, as St. Francis would say, as Brother Sun is rising and the birds begin to sing. Are the birds singing praises to the God who created them and who endlessly paints the one-of-a-kind sunrises and sunsets, each one a masterpiece? Do the birds recognize the presence of the Creator? Are they trying to tell us something? Do we get up in the morning and sing praise to God for another day of life, another morning to see the beautiful sunrise, or another magnificent sunset with a rainbow of colors?

Consider the sun and how it shines on all of God’s creations. Both plants and humans require sunshine to grow and be healthy. The sun shines unconditionally as God loves us unconditionally. The sun’s rays are like warm hugs from our Creator. When the sun cannot be seen due to cloud cover, it is like the times when we do not feel God in our life or feel deserted by Him. God is still there even if we do not see him, just like the sun is there but cannot be seen due to the clouds. 

Consider the fronds of the palm trees and how on a windy day they blow back and forth with no resistance. They are flexible and resilient. What do we do when the storm winds of life appear? Are we flexible and accept the stormy winds and just go with them until they pass, or do we fight them, trying to take control? As we mature in our spiritual life, we should become more resilient and less resistant, like the palm fronds waiting until the storms of life pass. Our South Florida palms teach us a valuable lesson on acceptance of God’s will for us each day, accepting the calm and peaceful winds as well as the stormy times.

Consider the wind and how it can teach us about balance in life. Windy days show us there is a time to move and take action, while calm days with little to no wind remind us of scripture when God tells us, “Be still and know that I am God.”Consider the Morning Glory vines that open their tiny purple-blue blossoms to greet the day when the sun rises in the morning. When the sun goes down, the vines close their delicate petals. Could the Morning Glory vines be reminding us of the importance of God’s light in our life? Could they be reminding us that we need God’s light to reflect his beauty in our life? Without God’s light, humans shrivel up just like the Morning Glory when the sun has set.

Consider the dried-up plant that looks like it’s dead. At first thought we may want to remove it and replace it with a prettier and healthier plant. If we are patient and wait for rain or water the plant, however, it just might turn green again and grow buds on their way to blossoming and soaking in the rays of sunlight. Sometimes we may want to discard a person just like the dried-up plant, thinking there is no hope. We may want to give up on someone who seems lost and unreachable. With genuine attention and care, that person might begin to recover from the depths of despair and find hope. The person, once thought to be a lost cause, begins to thrive, and begins using their talents to bring goodness and beauty into the world. They are basking in the sunshine of God’s love through interacting with caring people. 

Consider the butterflies and how they are attracted to certain flowering plants. They are smart! They recognize their source of food and are drawn to it. Oh, that we should be like butterflies, and recognize our spiritual food, the holy Eucharist, and be attracted to it. It is the most important food that gives us life.

How might God be speaking to us through the plants, animals, and all of nature that he created? God created everything for his purpose, therefore I ask, isn’t it possible that he is using the plants, animals, and all of nature to teach us?

On this feast of St. Francis of Assisi, let us take a deeper look around at God’s creation and ask ourselves what nature might be saying to each one of us.