The month of August traditionally marks the beginning of autumn. For the Celtic people, this time of year was filled with festivity, engaging in many rituals which expressed gratitude for the bounty of the harvest.
All-Ireland GAA finals in Croke Park, The Forest Fest, Electric Picnic and The National Ploughing Championships continue a rich tradition that celebrates Lunasa, a Gaelic festival marking the beginning of the harvest season.
Gratitude is a wonderful mindset and way of life that sustains a positive perspective in our outlook on life. Generations before us intuitively connected the bounty of harvest to the rich gratuitous love of our creator God.
Without the bounty of harvest, the months ahead would have been perilous for a people totally dependent on the produce to be harvested.
The scripture makes many references to this sacred season of harvest. Christianity and prayer are deeply practical, never pious, not prescriptive, but an invitation to be nourished by God’s bounty.
I think these days of thousands of children in Gaza whose starving bellies swollen with hunger and malnutrition have no bread.
I ponder also on lands arid with drought and extreme heat, no longer able to produce the green shoots that sustained life. It is often in our vulnerability where we experience a desire, a hunger for the presence of our living God.
The following story inspires such hope!
In a quaint village nestled between rolling hills and valleys of Mount Kilimanjaro, Thomas, a humble farmer, faced a severe drought that threatened his crops and livelihood.
With each passing day, the parched fields seemed to mock his efforts. Desperation crept in, and Thomas turned to God for guidance. One night, as he knelt in prayer, a vision filled his mind: a vivid image of a bountiful harvest and abundant rainfall.
Emboldened by this revelation, Thomas decided to plant seeds despite the arid conditions. His friends mocked him; the villagers laughed at him.
On the verge of doubt, he wanted to stop but devoted his thought to making an irrigation system and a water reservoir. It’s been months since he planted his crops.
One day, he stood on this farm, and in a loud voice, he prayed. He reminded God of the dream he had some months ago. The sun scorched on his skin till tiny sores emerged and sweat rolled on his face like showers.
After planting the last seed, he removed his raffia hat and wiped his sweat away with the back of his palm. Miraculously, a cold drop fell on his arm. He looked at it and glanced up at the bright sky.
Suddenly, gentle rain began to fall, and Thomas could hear the villagers jumping for joy. The field transformed – the cracked earth turned to fertile soil. Thomas’ joy knew no bounds his land was wet, and the reservoir was filled with water.
His plants grew as he watered his crops both day and night. The villagers marvelled as Thomas’s crops flourished, defying the odds. News of this miraculous harvest spread, and he became a rich farmer.
He used his wealth to renew the faith of his entire community. Planting seeds of hope in the midst of adversity can yield miraculous results.
The once-barren fields now stood as a testament to the power of belief and the unexpected blessings that can sprout from the seeds of faith.
An Inspirational Prayer
Do not look forward to what may happen tomorrow.
The same everlasting Father who cares for you today
will take care of you tomorrow and every day.
Either He will shield you from suffering,
or He will give you unfailing strength to bear it.
Be at peace, then.
Put aside all anxious thoughts and
imaginations, and say continually:
“The Lord is my strength and my shield.
My heart has trusted in Him
and I am helped.
He is not only with me but in me,
and I in Him.”
– St Francis de Sales
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