GOOD ROOTS PRODUCE GOOD FRUITS

God roots himself in history when he reveals himself to people.  “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” (Exodus 3:6).  One of the many things that I am learning to appreciate about the Catholic Church is that they root themselves in history; keeping current with those who were there from the beginning, the fathers and mothers of the church and the saints who followed in their footprints.  It is in being well rooted that a tree or a plant will be able to stand strong in the winds of a storm.  It is in being well rooted that the church will be able to stand strong in the winds of adversity.  That doesn’t mean that the outgrowth can’t change; growth requires change.  But if the roots remain strong and intact the growth will be healthy and fruitful.

History is important in the lives of individuals; family history and ancestry make us who we are. Institutional memory is an important element in any group of people; a nation, a church, a camp, and a business.  Keeping and honoring the roots of the original vision and allowing for new growth to enhance the original vision is a delicate endeavor.  Growth requires an openness to new ways, while maintaining the deep roots of what has worked thus far.  In our world of instant and quick fixes we often get rid of the old so we can make room for the new.  This is true in our history as a civilization and in the development of our faith in God.  We humans tend to easily forget and end up neglecting and abandoning all together the lessons we have learned that can help us grow and mature into good fruit.

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.  You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.  And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.  You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise…Take care lest you forget the Lord” (Deuteronomy 6:4-7,12).

Deuteronomy 6 is echoed often in Jesus’ words to his disciples.  Remember; teach what I have taught; do this in remembrance of me.  When we lose sight of all that God has done since the beginning of time, we will not have a faith with strong roots, nourishing us, supporting us, and encouraging us to grow deeply in the faith.  We will forget and forsake God, build our own broken cisterns that do not hold water, and fail at the things that truly matter.