The Gift of Birds

I have placed three birdfeeders in the area near the grotto and the statue of Jesus, between the Rectory and the Parish Center. The feeders are just outside my office window and there are times when I turn my chair to just watch the birds and listen to the water flowing in the fountain. House finches with their red heads, chickadees, mourning doves, and sparrows all visit frequently. Safflower seed is the preferred seed as it does not attract squirrels. The feeders and the water from the font, as well as nearby bushes make a very nice habitat for them.

The sparrows frustrate me because they throw the seed more than eat it. Still, the mourning dove appears to eat most of that seed on the ground as its size makes it impossible to land on the feeder. In the end the birds eat the seed and then fly away to care for their young.

At my father’s house there are several feeders for hummingbirds, orioles, cardinals, grosbeaks, etc., and then a special feeder for goldfinches. They are one of only a few species that can hang upside down and eat. I was about to write that I bought such a feeder but had not seen a goldfinch in the whole month. Then, in the midst of this very paragraph I turned to see the first goldfinch land and eat! Incredible timing! What a gift!

In the Gospel of Matthew, 6:26, he writes that the birds of the air neither reap nor sow, but God feeds them. I want to help God in that task. This verse comes in the midst of a section on easing anxiety.  Matthew concludes with v. 34: “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” This does not mean we ought not to plan or that we can lively passively. Rather, if God cares, then we care, but not to the point of anxiety.

As we see and interact with the natural world around us, may we see it as gift, a gift from God. We have been given the great responsibility of “dominion” and “rule” over the earth and its creatures (Genesis 1:26-28). May we value the world we have been given and demonstrate our gratitude by preserving it in love.

Peace, Fr. Andy