Cherry blossom season is always one of our favorite times of the year. Despite being dormant for most of the preceding year, the eager anticipation of the blossoms flourishing into peak bloom provides a wholesome fulfillment of joy and exaltation that can only be experienced by witnessing such magnificent rebirth.
Perhaps because the symbolism is so similar, or perhaps because cherry blossom season closely coincides with the Lenten season, we often reflect on how similiar the seasons are to each other. We ponder how wonderful it is to celebrate the resurrection of Christ as we celebrate the rebirth of the cherry blossoms.
“Thus says God, the Lord,
Who created the heavens and stretched them out,
Who spread out the earth and what comes from it…” [Isaiah 42]
For us Christians, Lent is our time of renewal; and we are filled with anticipation of the blooming of Christ risen from the dead. Of course, we should not wait for the annual bloom to celebrate the rebirth of Christ; but having the cherry blossoms flourish and fill the air with a beautiful perfume fragrance reinforces the Gospel. Such an important time is a wonderful reminder of our time to celebrate the renewal of our relationship with Christ. Even more wonderfully, we are reminded how we should anticipate the rising of Christ, as we anticipate the blooming of the blossoms. This is our opportunity to grow and do what we can to become better Christians, more perfect in the eyes of God.
Also, like the cherry blossoms, we must always remember that we are imperfect, that we will blossom and grow in our own time. Yet we also, like the blossoms, will always in God’s eyes be accepted as we are.
John and Emily Lucio
Links to the appointed readings and prayer for today:
