Mary van Balen

The parable of the barren fig tree is today's gospel reading. After three years of waiting for fruit from the tree, the orchard owner was ready to cut it down. Why not plant something else? The gardener had another idea. "Sir, leave it for this year also, and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; it may bear fruit in the future. If not you can cut it down." LK 13.8-9.

His remark brought another type of cultivation to mind. What do I do to "cultivate the ground" where my soul sinks its roots? What do I do that nurtures my spirit and enables me to share what I have been given?

Our lives are full of choices. How do we spend time? When at work, are we mindful of what we are doing, finding ways to serve even in positions that seem unlikely places for meeting God or sharing Goodness with others? And time when we are not at work? Read More 

This sonogram was shared by a friend whose daughter is expecting her first child. The baby in the picture is about the size of a quarter. Amazing, both the detail of the sonogram and the clearly developed features of the tiny baby.

"I think I will be feeling some kicking before long," the young mother said. The baby does look like she/he will be pushing the boundaries in this photo. I remember the first time I felt new life stirring within my womb. A sacred moment when the baby makes it's presence known. "Was it gas?" I wondered at the strange feeling in my abdomen? Not long after the kicks and stretches were unmistakable. Read More 

PHOTO:Mary van Balen
"...Others fell on rich soil and produced their crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty..."

Today’s gospel reading is the familiar story of the sower taken from MT 13. Most often, when I encounter it, I think of the seed as God’s Word and of myself as the soil. Am I inhospitable ground? Shallow? Distracted? Of course, I want to be rich soil where God’s word can take root and bear fruit not only for me but also for the Kingdom. Today, however, I had a different take. Read More