Deacon Shaun McGee has written a short reflection for this final week of Eastertide:
Laudato Bees (And Trees)
Sitting in the back garden during this spring I have been looking at the miniature apple tree that was planted about 10 years ago.
It has gone from dormancy into bud and then into full flower. As the flowers have emerged there has been a procession of bees of different kinds buzzing around, doing what bees do.
It has all been very restful and a relief from thinking about the grief and chaos that has consumed the world this year, a window into the beauty of God’s creation.
There was also a realisation that this wasn’t just a peaceful scene; in fact there is a lot going on. The tree is active, drawing moisture and nutrient from the soil and using the sunlight to grow branches, leaves and flowers. The bees are interested because they feed on nectar from the flowers and in doing so transfer pollen from one flower to another, one tree to another, eventually producing apples.
Perhaps what we are seeing here is a lesson in how our interactions with each other and by extension the rest of God’s creation should be. Both bee and tree give and receive, to the mutual of benefit of each other. The hive gets fed and eventually an apple will fall, a seed will sprout and a new tree grow.
In this weekend’s Gospel Jesus speaks about giving glory to God, how that has been his mission which he has accomplished. In these difficult days perhaps we can become aware that God desires to share his life and the wonder of his glory with us now. That glory is a gift that is freely given to us, we can see it mirrored in the beauty of creation, we can make it active in the love we show to one another.