February - A month of contrasts

Today is the first of February, a month full of contrasts. Today is my oldest grand-nephew's 12th birthday; he is up in Oregon now so I have not seen him but know he is being Confirmed in the next week; his grandmother, my sister, also has a birthday coming up in February. We also celebrate Mardi Gras and Ash Wednesday next week; then Valentine's Day and Presidents' Day where we combine a celebration of two great presidents: George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Snow is falling over much of the country during February. To take to the ski slopes is one of the delights of the month. Lent will give its own atmosphere to this short month. The world is in such need of Lenten prayer and conversion.
I read this in Richard Rohr's ""Hidden Things: Scripture As Spirituality" this morning:"You can only transform people to the degree that you have been transformed. You can only lead others as far as you yourself have gone. You have no ability to affirm or to communicate to another person that they are good or special until you know it strongly yourself...Only beloved people can pass on belovedness."

May this month of February be a transforming one for each of us and may we then transform others!

The Gospel has the parable of the mustard seed. I remember looking up over a door of a Church in a small town in Chile and seeing this huge mustard tree that had grown on the ledge from a small seed that had found enough dirt on the ledge to root and grow. The image has never left me.