Finding God in Ordinary Things:
Ireland. St. Patrick.
The Trinity. These are the things that instantly pop into
our head when we see a Shamrock or simply hear the word.
We treasure the legend of St.
Patrick using the Shamrock to explain the Trinity yet most of
us would say, if questioned, that we have never seen a real
Shamrock. In this we would be mistaken, however, because the
Irish word “shamrock” is translated into English as
“clover.” It is
commonly called “white
clover.”
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The clover that produces the
white flowers, which many of us, as children, picked for
bouquets for Mom or tied together to form chains and necklaces,
is the shamrock. Although we may, as adults,
consider white clover a weed in our lawns and gardens, it is,
in reality, an excellent choice for pastures, providing grazing
animals with rich forage.
It may come as a surprise to
learn that something we consider so special is, in fact, quite
common and ordinary. Yet isn’t this also the way it is
with us? In our own eyes, we consider ourselves, like the white
clover, common and ordinary, but in God’s eyes and in the
eyes of those on earth who manifest God’s love for us, we
are, like the Shamrock, unique and special. Despite our flaws,
faults, and failings, God loves each of us deeply and
unconditionally. There are no exceptions. God’s love is
always faithful and true.
And just as St. Patrick
plucked a Shamrock from the earth to explain the concept of the
Trinity to the people of Ireland, God chooses us from the earth
to carry His compassionate love, understanding, and forgiveness
to one another in this world. We are the tools, however
imperfect and ordinary, that God chooses to bring hope to our
family and friends and to all we meet. The things we do seem
quite simple—listen to someone who is troubled or
hurting, call or visit someone who is lonely, give a kind word
and smile to a harried clerk or an exasperated parent in a
crowded store, say a prayer for the poor, hungry, and abused
throughout the world. Yet, in God’s hands, each loving
act becomes a significant gift to the recipient.
While grazing animals find
food in rich clover, we are nourished by God. We are fed
through Scripture, prayer, and the sacraments. Nowhere is
this more evident than in the Sacrament of the Eucharist where
we receive, not a symbol of Jesus, but Jesus himself. And while
His body, in the form of bread and wine, mingles with our
physical bodies, His love flows into our souls and
refreshes us.
We walk out through the church doors
looking no different than when we entered but, inwardly, we
have been transformed by Jesus. We go into the world to be the
bread that is to be broken and given to others. We are
meant to be consumed over and over again as we do God’s
work.
We may, at times, grow physically
weary and perhaps frustrated and disheartened. Even our
prayer time, on occasion, may seem dry and unsatisfying. Yet
through it all, Jesus remains alive within us and keeps His
love flowing through us. Like the seed that replenishes a field
of shamrocks, Jesus renews our spirit in a never ending cycle.
