Our long liturgical season of growth has begun. On the altar, the pale green shoot -- so thin and pale against the bold green background-- is but a promise of the lush growth this season will eventually produce. Each week this sapling will grow, its colors mirroring the greens of the season. As the strips extend across the altar, they will form a cross that will ultimately enfold the entire space with every color of the growing season. We, the baptized congregation, are like these diverse strips: together we form the Body of Christ—one body composed of many diverse members.

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