CONSIDER THE LILIES

The Snake's Head Fritillary flowers in April and May, but it doesn't have a traditional association with Easter. It is included in our Easter Garden because it belongs to the Lily family. Jesus was familiar with lilies, as is clear from this passage from St Matthew's Gospel:

'And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labour or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?' (Matthew 6:28-30 NIV)

Fritillaries are such beautiful flowers that a British person could easily think of them when reading this passage.

THINKING ABOUT VALUES

In the passage about the lilies, Jesus is calling on his listeners to question their sense of what is important. Lent is a period when Christians try to think about their values, not just their own values (mobile phones, foreign holidays, swimming pools…?) but also those of our society. While we live in affluence, one billion people live in poverty. The United Nations suggests that each country should dedicate 0.7% of its Gross National Product to foreign aid. Only two countries currently do - and the U.K. isn't one of them. President Bush, leader of one of the world's most committed Christian countries, is planning to spend billions of dollars on a new missile system.

In earlier years, in those few meadows where Snake's Head Fritillaries could still be found, the landowners often opened their fields to the public, so that they could enjoy the beauty of the flowers. They often charged a small fee - but the money collected was generally given to charity. Maybe, as a thanks for the generous beauty of this world, our society should be willing to give a little more itself…?