One of the many beautiful aspects of Orthodoxy is the rhythm of seasons year after year.  As the buds start appearing on the trees and bushes outside, I know it’s time to start thinking about my little garden and to remember the story of Saint Helen’s pilgrimage to the Holy Land in her late age.

We recently moved to a new home.  Since we know we’re not going to be living here long, I’m unwilling to invest a lot of time and money into setting up another Square Foot Garden for just a short period of time.  (This is the best and most successful method of gardening I’ve used over the past 10 years.)  So, my little gardener and I made sure to bring our best pots with us when we moved along with several large buckets of our well tended soil from our previous garden beds. We’re ready to set up our tiny potted garden as part of our springtime rhythm and learning!

One of the seeds we plant in our garden each spring is basil.  We do this not only for use in our summertime dishes but also to harvest it for the Feast Day of the Elevation of the Holy Cross on September 14th.  We bring our basil to church with us, along with many other gardeners, as we remember how Saint Helen found the Life-Giving Cross of Christ under a mound where sweet basil was growing.  Three crosses were unearthed where it was said that Christ was crucified.  In order to discover which one was the cross Christ was crucified on, an ailing woman kiss each of the crosses and was cured as she kissed Christ’s cross.  The story also tells of a funeral procession passing by and a dead man was placed against each of the three crosses.  When he touched the Life-Giving Cross, he came back to life!

On the spot where the Cross was discovered, St. Helen had found a hitherto unknown flower of rare beauty and fragrance, which has been named “Vasiliko,” or Basil, meaning the flower of royalty. Note that the word “Vasiliko” means “of the King,” since the word “Basileus” in Greek means “King”; so, the plant Vasiliko, Basil, is tied to the Precious Cross of the King of Glory, our Lord Jesus Christ.  – Orthodoxwiki

Each year, as we plant our basil seeds in our home garden, we re-tell the story of Saint Helen finding Jesus’ cross under the sweet, fragrant basil.  In our humble garden, we are living our faith as we pass on this illuminating tradition to the next generation, our children.

My little gardener is retelling me the story of Saint Helen before we begin planting the basil.