Daily Meditation for April 25, 2025

Hug a tree today! J. Sterling Morton, a Nebraska journalist and advocate for tree planting, proposed the idea of a tree-planting holiday, which became known as Arbor Day. The first Arbor Day was observed in April 1872, with an estimated one million trees planted in Nebraska. Other states soon followed suit. Today, Arbor Day is celebrated worldwide, with many communities organizing tree-planting and litter-collecting events. Climate change is the biggest challenge facing the health of our planet. And while it will take many solutions working together to make a difference, trees are the proven, affordable, natural way that can be implemented quickly to pull carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere today. Every tree planted is a step in the right direction. (Arbor Day Foundation)

A Psalm for Arbor Day:

“The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the LORD they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, ‘The LORD is upright’” (Psalm 90:12–14).

By Mary Jackle, OSB