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                                               Intro Mary Garden

My Garden Prays

"Fair Olive Tree".  As we consider the beautiful form and foliage
of the miniature olive tree, we recall the numerous symbols from
the Old Testament perceived by the Church Fathers as figures of
Mary: "cedar on Lebanon"..."cypress on Mount Herman"..."palm tree
in Engedi"..."rosebush in Jericho"..."fair olive tree in the
field"..."plane tree growing beside the water"; later also seen as
Immaculate Conception symbols.  We pray that in emulating
Immaculate Mary we may ever be open to and inceasingly filled with
the graces of sanctification.

Trinity.  The symbolism of the three-petaled shamrock leaf in our
dish Mary Garden reminds us that the Trinity was first revealed to
the world through the Annunciation of the Angel to Mary; and that
in her person she mirrors the Trinity as Daughter of the Father,
Mother of the Son and Spouse of the Holy Spirit.  We pray that we
may ever live by the will of the Father, the teaching of the Son,
and the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

Star of Bethlehem.  We rejoice in the imaginative folk legend that,
after the miraculous star led the Wise Men of the Gentile nations
to Bethlehem, it burst into a myriad of fragments falling to earth
as flowers - rooted Stars of Bethlehem - surrounding the manger
where lay the infant Savior of the World whom they had come to
adore.  A similar legend relates that all the stars of heaven came
down from heaven as buttercups, surrounding the manger, that they
too might adore the Christ Child on earth.  May we adore Christ in
the exposition of the Most Blessed Sacrament.

Mary's Sword of Sorrow.  The sword-like foliage quickens us to
reflection on Simeon's prophecy to Mary at the Presentation of the
Child Jesus in the Temple that not only was the infant Jesus in
her arms "to be a sign which was to be contradicted" - in
confirmation of the prophecy of Isaiah of the Redeemer's suffering
and death - but that also a sword of immolative sorrow would
pierce her own soul, that the thoughts of many hearts would be
revealed.  We reflect that Mary from that moment on, is
considered, through her fidelity to the anticipatory grace (as
with the grace of her Immaculate Conception) from Christ's coming
immolation, to have lived continuously the immolative agony of her
mother's sorrowful heart in her foreknowedge of the Passion and
Cross - in Egypt, Nazareth and Galilee - as co-redemptrix of the
world with her immolated Son.

Tears of Mary.  At the foot of the Cross, Christ's blood drops,
symbolized by many flowers, were mingled with the Sorrowful
Mother's tears, as together they participated in the Redemption of
the world. We pray that we ourselves may participate, through the
daily offering of our sufferings and sorrows, in the immolation of
both Jesus and Mary, to make up what is wanting for the fulfillment
in history of the coming of God's Kingdom - from the victory over
evil already won on Golgotha.

Mother-of-Thousands.  The reproductive generation of numerous tiny
plants from the mother plant's stems symbolizes for us the many
hearts in which Christ is given birth through Mary's distribution
of the graces of conversion in her mediational spiritual
motherhood.  We rejoice over the gift of faith in our hearts, and
pray that through our prayers and works of mercy, and through
Mary's mediation, this gift may be extended widely to others.

Mary's Heart.  Beholding the red heart-shaped buds of this plant,
we reflect that Mary, our Spiritual Mother, through the love of
her Immaculate Heart for us, ever presents our needs to the Sacred
Heart of Jesus.  As we pray with Jesus to the Father, "Hallowed be
thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done" may we ever seek
this "by, with, in and for" Mary - mindful of her loving fidelity
to the graces of her divinely appointed role as advocate,
intercessor and mediatrix of all grace for the glorification of
the Father and the building of his earthly Kingdom.

Our Lady's Mantle.  As we behold the mantle-shaped leaves of this
plant, we pray that Mary, Queen of Angels, will give us spiritual
protection by encompassing us with her heavenly angelic mantle.
And as we irrigate our dish Mary Garden, we note that water
falling on the fine hairy surfaces of the leaves forms little
glistening droplets, for which reason this plant was also known as
"Our Lady's Tears" -  illustrative of the multiple symbolism of
many plants.

Rosary Vine.  The strings of heart-shaped leaves of the Rosary
Vine remind us to pray our Aves in emulation of Mary, as we
meditate on her life and mysteries through the symbolism of the
other Flowers of Our Lady - "that by imitating what they contain,
we may obtain what they promise, through Christ, our Lord."

Prayer Plant.  The folding together of the leaves of this plant in
"prayer" each night reminds us that the plants of the Mary Garden
are themselves a prayer.  As Rev. James J. Galvin, C.SS.R. writes
in "My Garden Prays," Perpetual Help, February 1952:

         "Gardens should pray!  Gardens should remind children of
         their Mother.  Gardens should be holy places that keep
         minds fresh and unsullied as Madonna lilies.  Gardens
         should chime with names that ring like the Litany of
         Loreto.  And gardens, if they are truly Mary Gardens,
         will naturally lead to Christ."

These flower meditations are according to the spirit and example
of "Flowers of Mary" by Rev. Louis Gemminger (1894).


Copyright Mary's Gardens 1996