meditation – hugsnblessings

The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD’S throne is in heaven. His eyes behold, his searching glance is on mankind. The just will gaze on your face, O Lord.

Psalm 11: 4, 7

Silence gives the space to hear God speak, whether through words we hear within or through a movement of love or an answer to a question.

Silence itself also speaks.

St. Paul writes of the Spirit, who “intercedes with sighs too deep for words” (Romans 8:26). In silence, we can hear our own sighs for God and know that the silence of God is part of God’s also sighing for us—and for all creation.

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Common Name/Religious Name:

Hollyhock/St. Joseph’s Staff, Pansy/Our Lady’s Delight, Bleeding Heart/Mary’s Heart, Columbine/Our Lady’s Shoes, Primrose/Our Lady’s Keys, Black Eyed Susan/Golden Jerusalem, Cornflowers/Mary’s Crown, Cosmos/St. Michaels’ Flower, Petunia/Our Lady’s Praises, Zinnia/The Virgin, Gladiolus/Ladder to Heaven, Geranium/Gentle Virgin, Daffodil/Mary’s Star, Lily of the Valley/Our Lady’s Tears, Peony/Pentecost Rose, Tulip/Mary’s Prayer, Rose/Emblem of Mary.

A Mary Garden is a collection of plants and flowers that have specific “Mary names” or religious names in addition to their botanical and common names.

John S. Stokes Jr. was the founder of the Mary’s Gardens movement, which started in 1951 to promote the creation of Mary Gardens and to connect gardeners of all skill levels. Proposed first for home gardens, Mary Gardens soon became fixtures at schools, parishes, burial plots, institutions, and shrines. As outreach was an important aspect of the movement, Stokes wrote, designed, and compiled gardening guides and garden plans to encourage people to plant Mary Gardens, promoting them as prayerful, religious works of stewardship, devotion, praise, thanksgiving, meditation, and commitment for God’s artistry in creation.

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