Of Gardens, and Growing Beauty

It's too late tonight to finish reading David Clayton's article, on "Christian Environmentalism," I've just come across. (My word, but New Liturgical Movement abounds in riches!)

We need more people in the world, not fewer, if we are to solve the world’s problems. And we need more gardeners - I am serious here. For the true gardener is the man transformed in Christ who works in the world to raise it up to what it is meant to be

Not only is it late, but my mind is wandering to the musical staging I saw with children several years ago, of Oscar Wilde's exquisite Selfish Giant
The songs were all genuine folk tunes, of a sort I thought children no longer learned, except, I think, for the closing anthem. I was not alone crying in the audience as Christ asked not just the Giant, but everyone on stage and in the audience, "Won't you help me plant my garden?" to a borrowing of Hyfrydol. Seriously, if you don't know it, go read that story and see if you can keep from weeping.

And the child smiled on the Giant, and said to him, 'You let me play once in your garden, to-day you shall come with me to my garden, which is Paradise.'