A Win-Win (05/06/2026)

Growing up, I was fascinated with the bees. Perhaps it’s because my father was an integral part of Sioux Bee Honey. I was never afraid of bees, but I always appreciated them. They were part of a “mutual symbiosis.” When I was young, I didn’t know it had a name: “mutual symbiosis.”  It wasn’t until high school biology and Mrs. Hamilton that the term entered my vocabulary. But I understood the concept because my dad taught me. He explained how beautiful it is when one helps another and in the process is rewarded.

The bee helps the plants by pollinating as she gathers nectar to make honey. People who never had Mrs. Hamilton for biology call that “a win-win.” The world seems to love “win-win” situations.

This week, I was thinking about my time at Mundelein Seminary as a professor, and I remembered the bees on the ceiling of the library. The bee is a common symbol in Christianity. It symbolizes hard work and dedication to its vocation. The beehive is also an important symbol in Christianity, it represents the community of Christ, a community called to live in harmony with a shared purpose. And I had to ask myself if I am living my vocation fully and am I contributing to the beehive. As I go out in the world, am I taking Christ with me? Does my presence in the world add to its fruitfulness as the bees presence does when it pollinates?

I am in awe of our LORD who created the bees and the plants and rewarded both for living their purpose. And I want to be that “bee” who lives my purpose day in and day out and in loving God and loving others changes the world according to the LORD’s divine design.

Be with me LORD and grant that I may be with You.

Until tomorrow, let us all love well.