Lord of the Harvest

The grounds at the National Blue Army Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Washington, New Jersey lay serenely in the bright noonday sunshine. It was one of those cooler days when summer and autumn meet, and leaves make a whishing sound as the trees sway in the gentle breeze. A paved walkway traversed the perimeter of the spacious, rolling lawn. Here and there were statues displaying Mary and her infant Son, angels bowing in adoration, and the family of Mary, Anne, and Joachim.

These grounds were like a mini-retreat, the perfect spot to pray after going to Confession inside the shrine chapel. Father had assigned me to read and meditate on Psalm 51 as my penance. I opened my phone to find the Scripture and sat down in a shady spot near a stone altar between two kneeling angels. In this haven, I read, “Secretly you teach me wisdom.” The high branches of the leafy trees rustled as the psalmist’s words continued, “Cleanse me with hyssop” (Ps. 51:8-9). How appropriate to be surrounded by trees and bushes while considering the image of a woody hyssop branch, used in biblical times for ritual cleansing.

A Thud, and a Mystery

I was nearing the end of my reading when a distinct “thud” in the earth nearby distracted me. Out of the corner of my eye, I had seen an object like a tennis ball fly through the air. Were there children playing nearby? That seemed unlikely in this remote location.

In only a moment, the mystery was solved. Not far away, I observed several green orbs in the grass. They were not tennis balls, but fresh walnuts, grown heavy enough to fall from their stems on the high branches. The tall trees were walnut trees, and they surrounded the great lawn majestically. Listening for several minutes, I heard more thuds, sporadic but unmistakable, as the walnuts dropped, each in its moment of ripeness.

It was delightful because it reminded me of my father’s fascination with nature and his appreciation of walnuts. Never mind that removing the husks left stubborn stains on one’s hands. Nature was pleased to rain walnuts down when they were ready for harvest. They had remained on the limbs precisely long enough to absorb sufficient nutrients and moisture. When they became too heavy to cling to the thin branches, they fell. Safely inside a soft husk, the walnut shells did not break upon hitting the earth. The meat inside the nut remained fresh, as a result of nature’s plan.

The Father’s Plan

Of course, nature’s plan is really our Heavenly Father’s plan. The growing, the ripening, the harvest, and even the work of human hands to bring crops to fruition are all by the design of the Wisdom that ordered creation. When we consider the many sciences – biology, chemistry, even physics – that explain the growth of a simple walnut, we see the work of God. How ironic it is that some people find a conflict between intelligence and religious belief. The complex and well-ordered rules of science, mathematics, grammar and logic all point to the existence of One who transcends the limits of human understanding.

Being my frugal father’s daughter, I considered momentarily whether it would be ethical to gather a few walnuts to take home. I quickly decided against it, as these are not my trees, of course. But the thought inspired a further reflection, that this harvest needed workers. There seemed to be more walnuts lying on these grounds than one person could collect in an afternoon. A song lyric, “The harvest is plenty; laborers are few,” came to mind. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus advises us to pray to the “Lord of the harvest to send workers into the field” (Mt 9:38). The shrine lawn laden with ripe walnuts mirrors our Church, in need of vocations. And this is another aspect of the Father’s plan, that he would call people to lead others to him, following in the footsteps of our Savior.

A Path of Love and Grace

My Psalm 51 penance concluded, I prepared to leave. Yet my pondering continued. Passing a display of Mary, Anne, and Joachim, I considered again God’s loving plan. Just as we can trace the path of salvation from the Word made flesh to the Immaculate Conception, can we not also trace it to the parents of Mary and back through the generations to Abraham? Conversely, we may trace God’s salvific plan from Jesus to Peter, through all of the Holy Fathers up to Francis, and to what we once called “holy mother Church.” A complex path of love and grace through the ages follows the Father’s will for our eternal welfare.

Thanks be to the Lord of the harvest for his benevolent plan, and for grace that falls on us even as walnuts fall from a tree.

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