The Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Who We Are
    • Our Vision
    • Our History
    • Find a Church
    • Deaneries
    • The Bishop >
      • Messages from Bishop Woodliff-Stanley
    • Clergy & Staff >
      • Clergy in Good Standing
      • Clergy and Transition Ministries
    • Governance >
      • Constitution & Canons
      • Convention
      • Boards and Committees >
        • Standing Committee
        • Diocesan Council
        • Trustees of the Diocese
        • Deputies to General Convention
        • Liturgical Commission
        • Visioning Committee
        • University of the South Trustees
        • Other Boards and Committees
    • Historical Timeline
    • FAQ
  • Ministry
    • Prayer Calendar
    • Commission on Ministry
    • Title IV Concerns
    • Outreach
    • Racial Justice & Reconciliation Commission
    • Grants for Congregations
    • Administrative Resources
    • Clergy Resources
    • Liturgy & Worship >
      • Liturgical Commission >
        • Bishop Guerry
      • Marriage
      • The Lectionary
      • The Book of Common Prayer
      • Brother, Give Us A Word (SSJE)
      • Daily Prayer: Forward Movement
    • Education & Formation >
      • Adults
      • College Ministry
      • Youth
      • Children
    • Church Connections >
      • The Episcopal Church >
        • Province IV
      • The Anglican Communion
      • Anglicans Online >
        • The Society of Archbishop Justus
      • Daughters of the King
      • Episcopal Church Women (ECW)
      • Society of the Companions of the Holy Cross
      • Order of St. Helena
    • Ecumenical & Interfaith >
      • Fellowship of SC Bishops/Public Education Initiative
      • Charleston Area Justice Ministry
      • Christian Jewish Council
      • Gun Violence Prevention
    • Communications Resources
    • Communication and Evangelism >
      • Carolina Grace
      • Social Media Sunday
      • Mission Matters Videos
  • News
    • News Blog
    • Lenten Resources & Events
    • Sacred Ground 2023
    • 80th General Convention 2022 >
      • 80th General Convention Blog
    • Email Newsletter
    • Episcopal News Service
    • Anglican Communion News
  • Giving
  • Convention
    • 234th Diocesan Convention
  • Contact Us
    • Get in touch
    • Make a donation
    • Sign up for the newsletter
    • News Submission
  • St. Christopher
  • Strategic Visioning

Diocesan Meditations

May 20: The Grace of the Gardenia on the Eve of the Ascension

5/20/2020

0 Comments

 
By the Venerable Calhoun Walpole,
Archdeacon of the Diocese of South Carolina


Every year at this time in the South, the gardenia blooms and brightens the world with its beauty and sweet fragrance wafting through the air, reminding us of the transitory, yet eternal, gift of the flower. The gardenia was named for Dr. Alexander Garden, a Scottish physician and naturalist, the son of a clergyman by the same name and cousin of the Reverend Alexander Garden, who served in South Carolina as Commissary to the Bishop of London during the colonial era. His colorful tales of the growing colony enticed Alexander, the physician and naturalist, to venture to South Carolina.
 
I always find myself doing a delicate dance with the gardenia in an attempt to bring some of its blooms and fragrance inside, yet knowing that if my skin touches the flower, the flower will turn brown and die. I asked a lifelong friend about this. While we were still school-aged children, my friend Peter Madsen began to operate his own nursery called “Pete’s Plants,” which is now “Sea Island Savory Herbs.” Peter explained to me that the gardenia’s flower (like that of the camellia) is so delicate and sensitive that contact with human skin bruises the cell walls of the petals. The oil in the skin closes off the pores of the petals. The gardenia is also an evergreen, meaning it never loses its leaves. It craves water and thrives in swampy settings.
 
In the 20th chapter of the Gospel of John, the Risen Jesus says to Mary, “Stop clinging to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father.” Jesus is saying that after his ascension he will be with us in new ways. The 19th century bishop and biblical scholar, B.F. Westcott, noted, “Then you will be able to enjoy the communion which is as yet impossible.”
 
When the pandemic is past, as in any major life or world event, we hope to be changed—for the better. In your own life, what will deep fellowship and communion with others look like?
 
Perhaps it will be as exquisite and delightful as the gift and grace of the gardenia.
 
Yours faithfully,
Callie
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Meditations

    During the uncertain times created by the COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic in March 2020, leadership of the diocese will send out regular meditations on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays for the next while as we all adjust to a new chapter of living and being the Church.

    ​The Archdeacon, The Venerable Calhoun Walpole, will share a meditation each Wednesday; The Rt. Rev. Henry N. Parsley, Jr., Visiting Bishop for our Diocese, will offer a meditation each Saturday; and the Rev. Cn. Caleb Lee, President of the Standing Committee, will share a reflection each Monday.

    Archives

    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Copyright © 2025 The Diocese of South Carolina
P.O. Box 20485, Charleston, SC 29413 - ​843.259.2016 - [email protected]
Make A Donation
Sign Up For Our Newsletter
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Who We Are
    • Our Vision
    • Our History
    • Find a Church
    • Deaneries
    • The Bishop >
      • Messages from Bishop Woodliff-Stanley
    • Clergy & Staff >
      • Clergy in Good Standing
      • Clergy and Transition Ministries
    • Governance >
      • Constitution & Canons
      • Convention
      • Boards and Committees >
        • Standing Committee
        • Diocesan Council
        • Trustees of the Diocese
        • Deputies to General Convention
        • Liturgical Commission
        • Visioning Committee
        • University of the South Trustees
        • Other Boards and Committees
    • Historical Timeline
    • FAQ
  • Ministry
    • Prayer Calendar
    • Commission on Ministry
    • Title IV Concerns
    • Outreach
    • Racial Justice & Reconciliation Commission
    • Grants for Congregations
    • Administrative Resources
    • Clergy Resources
    • Liturgy & Worship >
      • Liturgical Commission >
        • Bishop Guerry
      • Marriage
      • The Lectionary
      • The Book of Common Prayer
      • Brother, Give Us A Word (SSJE)
      • Daily Prayer: Forward Movement
    • Education & Formation >
      • Adults
      • College Ministry
      • Youth
      • Children
    • Church Connections >
      • The Episcopal Church >
        • Province IV
      • The Anglican Communion
      • Anglicans Online >
        • The Society of Archbishop Justus
      • Daughters of the King
      • Episcopal Church Women (ECW)
      • Society of the Companions of the Holy Cross
      • Order of St. Helena
    • Ecumenical & Interfaith >
      • Fellowship of SC Bishops/Public Education Initiative
      • Charleston Area Justice Ministry
      • Christian Jewish Council
      • Gun Violence Prevention
    • Communications Resources
    • Communication and Evangelism >
      • Carolina Grace
      • Social Media Sunday
      • Mission Matters Videos
  • News
    • News Blog
    • Lenten Resources & Events
    • Sacred Ground 2023
    • 80th General Convention 2022 >
      • 80th General Convention Blog
    • Email Newsletter
    • Episcopal News Service
    • Anglican Communion News
  • Giving
  • Convention
    • 234th Diocesan Convention
  • Contact Us
    • Get in touch
    • Make a donation
    • Sign up for the newsletter
    • News Submission
  • St. Christopher
  • Strategic Visioning