Dandelion and Burdock

Dandelion and burdock is a very British drink, thought to have been drunk within these isles since 1265. One of the apocryphal tales of the origins of this naturally fizzy concoction credit St Thomas Aquinas as its inventor. It is said that Thomas, during a bout of writers’ block, had a sleepless night praying for inspiration from God. He was moved to get up and walked straight into the countryside. After a while he developed a thirst. Trusting in God to provide he made a drink from the first plants he came across and it was this drink that aided his concentration when seeking to formulate his theological arguments that ultimately culminated in the Summa Theologiae.

Now it is very possible that this story is the product of a salesman marketing D&B as a brain tonic but I think we can also understand it on a deeper level. We are constantly given situations, responsibilities, successes and failures. These are our ingredients. If we approach with God in mind, putting our trust in Him, we can face anything and deal with whatever comes along, confident that in the end, things will work out. God will and does provide, our spiritual thirst will always be satisfied by the Living Water, and when we drink of this water our minds will be focused on Truth itself.

Mark Davoren