Listening and Looking during Lent
My friend Sister Mary John Paul wrote an intriguing and thought-provoking article for our Associate newsletter. She let me share it here. Coincidentally (?) it echoes the theme of a book I’m reading now called Becoming Beholders. The book develops the idea that everything, person, and occasion can be a channel of grace, a sacrament. In it a line from a poem by Gerard Manley Hopkins, S.J., is quoted: “These things, these things were here and but the beholder/Wanting.” The poet wrote this when he watched a beautiful harvest scene on a lovely day and realized the beauty of it was lost on him as he dwelt on the past and dreaded the future. Enjoy Sister’s thoughts! (more…)
Lessons from Snow: A Mixed Blessing
Now that Boston is buried under more than 100 inches of snow and my Cleveland driveway is coated with it yet again, I decided to reflect on snow. A good snowfall is one human experience that Jesus never had since he lived in a desert climate. The most he probably ever knew of snow was seeing snow-capped Mount Hermon in the distance. But yesterday ten inches of snow fell in Jerusalem—a rarity! To me the most remarkable thing about snow is its beauty. Individual flakes are delicate works of art. Together they form blankets of pure white, covering everything and sparkling in sunshine. Snow’s loveliness is a reflection of its Creator who is all beautiful. The three men thrown into a fiery furnace for their faith sang, “Hoarfrost and snow, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever” (Daniel 3:70). Also, there’s nothing so cozy as being in a warm house and, through a window painted with lacy ice, watching large, soft snowflakes drift to earth.
Snow has a wonderful role in my childhood memories: making angels in it, playing King of the Mountain on the mounds slowplowed on the edge of the A&P parking lot, sledding on Ginny Hill, making snowmen and women, engaging in snowball fights and face washings, and tasting ice cream Mom made from snow to show how her mom made it in rural Illinois. As an adult, however, I don’t appreciate snow piled up in front of my door so I can’t get out, driving through a blizzard while peering through the window to follow the lights of the car in front of me, and thawing frozen fingers after brushing off the car.
Did you know there is a word for fear of snow? Chionophobia.
The whiteness of snow makes it an apt symbol for holiness. Yes, that is why a very good girl in a fairy tale is named Snow White. In Psalm 51:9 we ask God, “Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.” And God exhorts us through the prophet to set things right so that “Though your sins be like scarlet, they may become white as snow” (Isaiah 1:18). The clothing of the angel at the tomb was white as snow. (Matthew 28:3) God’s glory is perceived as light, which is represented by the color white. Hmm. All this snow during Lent serves as a reminder to clean up our act so that we better reflect God’s goodness.
An unproven but common belief is that no two snowflakes are alike. Someone, though, has identified eighty different patterns. In their uniqueness, snowflakes are like us, handcrafted individually by God. Do I dare point out that some of us are flakier than others?
There is a parable about snow that illustrates the power of one. A branch is laden with snow. One more snowflake lands on it, and this single flake causes the branch to break. That’s probably the case with all of the caved-in roofs today: one snowflake was “the last straw
.”
Despite the hardships heavy snows have caused, many are meeting it with good humor. The Kentucky police have issued an arrest warrant for Princess Elsa from the movie “Frozen.” (In case you are one of the few who haven’t heard or seen this film, Elsa has a magic power to create ice.) Someone else moaned that she would like to give up winter for Lent.
Let’s focus on the positive: What do you like most about snow?
Detecting Grace in Life’s Messes
I can relate to the book Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day because I just had an entire week of bad days! My phone was cancelled by mistake, and it took six days and talks with seven agents before it was restored. I lost the PBS station on TV (jeopardizing my viewing of Downton Abbey). A new talk I spent days preparing turned out to be cancelled, but no one thought to tell me. Instead of sprinkling a dash of cinnamon in my coffee, I grabbed the wrong bottle and tossed in half of my Vitamin D pills. Then when I stood up, I walked into an open cabinet door. On my way to be a substitute reader at Sunday Mass, I stopped to do an act of charity and got stuck in an icy snowdrift on the side of the driveway; AAA said they’d be there within an hour and half. The reading for that Mass happened to be from the Book of Job. I thought, Just call me Sister Jobette. (more…)
Grace in the Daily Grind
Most of our lives are spent carrying out necessary routines: eating, doing dishes, washing, cleaning, driving, and (hopefully) exercising. If we work, our job might be quite ordinary, menial, or boring. Day follows day, and we don’t expect to ever appear on the evening news for an act of heroism. Neither do we expect to be canonized. Take heart! While researching the lives of saints, I found that several of them bear witness to and teach that holiness can come from simply living a normal life faithfully. (more…)
Abraham, Model of Exceptional Faith
It’s been awhile since I’ve thought about Abraham, the great granddaddy of Christians, Jews, and Muslims. But as I prepare a talk on him, I’m renewing my acquaintance. Aspects of his life shed light on our own. If you recall, when Abraham was already 75 years old, the one and only true God told him to leave his land and relatives. Yet God didn’t reveal where he was to go. This command made no sense, but Abraham began walking. Talk about a leap of faith! (more…)
