An autumn garden can look untidy to us and generous to almost everything else. Saint Francis helps us see the difference.

Padre Pio was a Capuchin Franciscan whose extraordinary reputation grew from an ordinary discipline of prayer. For his 23 September feast, we reflect on the rosary, service and the holiness of faithfully showing up.

The garden is not solemn. It is not holding back out of respect for human sorrow. The nasturtiums are moving in the breeze. The flowers are opening. The green things are reaching over edges and filling spaces. The bees are working with their usual impossible urgency, and in the apiary, colonies are dividing and beginning again.

In the gentle embrace of May, as the world awakens from the slumber of winter, nature unfolds a tapestry of vibrant hues and fragrant blooms. Amongst this symphony of colors, there exists a profound connection between the blossoming of wildflowers and the timeless ritual of prayer with rosary beads. Both evoke a sense of beauty, serenity, and devotion, inviting us to pause, reflect, and immerse ourselves in the sacredness of the moment. Flowers as prompts for Marian prayer Th