Catch the little foxes

The foxes that destroy the vines

The School for Housewives brings you short, practical, and thoughtful messages to inspire you to make your home. If you’re new here, go to the homepage for the previous Lessons; the categories are arranged in the menu bar at the top.

The family plants a vineyard on the hills provided by God. No one can make the Spring come; it comes without our willing it; no man can cause the trees to start putting out their leaves; the garden gives growth by our tending, but we cannot create it.

It’s all gift. Easter is the supernatural restoration of the gift, almost thrown away by Adam’s — and our — sin.

So be sure to catch the little foxes — those little things that disturb love, that when we walk in amongst the vines, we suddenly notice they are withering, having been gnawed at from below.

What are these foxes?

The errors that we have not be vigilant to correct and to prevent from coming in. It really does matter what we think about things. It matters what we teach our children. It matters how love tends the vineyard, in harmony with God’s order or in opposition to it. The whole thing will be destroyed without our knowing it, if we let the little foxes in.

In a way, this is what this account is about: The vineyard. What to do about the vineyard, what to do about the foxes!

11 For winter is now past, the rain is over and gone. 12 The flowers have appeared in our land, the time of pruning is come: the voice of the turtle is heard in our land: 13 The fig tree hath put forth her green figs: the vines in flower yield their sweet smell. Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come: 14- My dove in the clefts of the rock, in the hollow places of the wall, shew me thy face, let thy voice sound in my ears: for thy voice is sweet, and thy face comely 15 Catch us the little foxes that destroy the vines: for our vineyard hath flourished.

Canticle of Canticles (Song of Solomon), Chapter 2

As with everything here at the SFH, the best thing is for you to take my ideas, coming from my experience of 45 years of marriage and raising seven children, and apply them to your situation with discernment, prudence, and confidence — and a sense of humor!

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For the longer version:

My book on how to live with the Liturgical Year: The Little Oratory