The Weaving

'My life is but a weaving
between my Lord and me.
I cannot choose the colors;
He worketh steadily.

Oft times He weaveth sorrow
and I, in foolish pride,
forget He sees the upper,
and I the underside.

Not til the loom is silent
and the shuttles cease to fly,
shall God unroll the canvas
and explain the reason why.

The dark threads are as needful,
in the Weaver's skillful hand,
as the threads of gold and silver
in the pattern He has planned.'

Benjamin Malachi Franklin

The Producer's Cameo Appearances

Even though I grew up watching Alfred Hitchcock movies, I was an adult before I learned one of their most charming little secrets. Mr. Hitchcock not only produced and directed the films, he also made cameo appearances in his works. To those paying close attention, he could be found milling among crowds of extras, or hopping on a bus, or even interacting with a character.

I'd had no idea. No one ever told me the director might show up anywhere, at any time.  Those who cared to find him just had to keep eyes open and watch. A bit of a challenge, I'm sure, in those days before videotapes and rewind buttons, back when the only way to see a movie was to go to an actual theater at the times it was shown.

In my early days of movie viewing, I never saw Mr. Hitchcock in his films. For one thing, I didn't have a very clear idea of what he looked like. For another, I had not been told to look. No one said he'd be there. If I had known, perhaps I would have taken on the hunt as a challenge:  a kind of "Where's Waldo" for those of us in the Baby Boomer generation.

Thinking of this recently, I couldn't help but make comparisons.

The One responsible for the world around us, the One who not only produces and directs but is the actual Author of life Himself, does not remain at a distance.  He doesn't stay "off screen." He is there in the simplest as well as the most profound of all our moments. He is always there, and occasionally He even lets His presence be seen.

In order to find him, however, we have to know to look.  We must be told He is here.

We also have to know what He's like. We must have some idea of His nature. How do we learn this? We spend time with Him in prayer. We read Scripture. We learn His ways through the Catechism and in writings of saints known to be with Him. We see how He relates to mankind.

If we care to find Him, we just have to keep our eyes open. It can be a bit of a challenge to do so, especially when many around us seem not to be looking for Him or thinking of Him, or even giving Him credit for the world in which He has placed us.

If we pay attention, we just might catch a glimpse of Him. Possibly in something about which we find ourselves thinking "that just can't be a coincidence."  Maybe in the sound of rain outside our window. Maybe when we open a page of Scripture. Perhaps when we see an answer to prayer.

The Producer of all we see is never far from us.  We have only to look.  

"This Son is the reflection of the Father's glory, the exact representation of the Father's being, and He sustains all things by His powerful word." (Hebrews 1:3) 

public domain photos from Wikimedia's "Hitchcock's cameo Appearances" page

May we not fear the Climb

Carmel 1893

Dear Leonie,

"We just listened to a beautiful retreat... the good Father spoke especially about union with Jesus... 'Look at the oaks in our countryside... they spread out their branches to the right and left, nothing hinders them, so they never reach a great height.

"On the contrary, look at the oaks of the forest, hemmed in on all sides; they do not see the light except from on high, so their trunks are without all these deformed branches that draw away the sap necessary to go upward.  The oaks see nothing but the sky above, and all their strength is turned in that direction, so soon they attain a prodigious height....

"The soul has light when it looks upon Heaven, there alone it can rest its gaze, never must it fear climbing too much in this direction.'"  (St. Therese of Lisieux)

The priest quoted here was speaking to the Sisters of their Rule, which hemmed them in and, in effect, pressed them "upward."  God obviously considers all people in need of a Rule, for He has given us Scripture and Church teaching to train us in our growth toward Him. 

Oh, but how often are we cautioned not to "climb too much in that direction?"  Told that religion is okay in its place, fine for nuns and priests (and for us too - on Sundays).  Just don't be a fanatic.  Don't be a goody two-shoes, a spoilsport, a prude. 

"All Christians in any state or walk of life are called to the fullness of Christian life and to the perfection of charity.  All are called to holiness: 'Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.' (Matthew 5:48)"  (Catechism of the Catholic Church #2013)

"Christian perfection has but one limit, that of having none."  (St. Gregory of Nyssa, quoted in Catholicism of the Catholic Church #2028)  

Saints, it can be said, have been those without limits.  No limits to their love, no limits to their quest for holiness, no limits as they've allowed God's will and the various circumstances of their lives to press them upward to perfection.

"Follow the saints, because those who follow them will become saints."  (Pope Clement I).  

May we not fear the climb.

a time for waiting

"Worldlings... who live according to the ways of earth, as soon as they have some good thought or some idea that seems to them worthy of being esteemed... are never at rest till they have exhibited it and made it known to everyone they meet.  Wherein they run the same risk as the trees which are very early in sending out their leaves.. for if, perchance, the frost surprises them, they perish and bear no fruit."  (St. Francis de Sales).  

"It is owing to His favor that salvation is yours through faith.  This is not your own doing, it is God's gift.  Neither is it a reward for anything you have accomplished, so let no one pride himself on it.  We are truly His handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to lead the life of good deeds which God prepared for us in advance."  (Ephesians 2:8-10)

(photo © Nancy Shuman) 

check those batteries....

God teaches in the simplest ways and things.  I had just sat down to write this and realized the computer wasn't plugged in and the battery was down.  I secured the plug and thought 'that's how it is!'  I must stay securely plugged in, too, in order to be powered up to operate as I should. 

Prayer is kind of like battery recharging.  I must recharge daily in order to stay ready to work..... 

a life sandwich

Dear Nancy, 
          What a journey my life has been.  Certainly not exactly as I envisioned, but I suspect this is true of everyone's journey.   Once we set out on a trip, we expect it will lead to our desired destination, but we do not see or even imagine all those interesting, delightful, challenging, painful, undesirable, hurtful, ugly, barren, surprising, exhilarating, enlightening details along the way.  We only dwell on the beginning and the end, which in a way is like a sandwich.  The beginning is one slice of bread, the ending is the other slice.  Obviously very essential to the sandwich, but by no means the main attraction.  And so it is with life.  We've got to embrace all of it lovingly to our hearts, the good and the not so good.  It all contributes to a wonderful life, a free gift from God...                             

Sister Mary Elizabeth VHM       

the tragedy of warm frogs

While on a recent "breadbox excavation," I came across the following letter from several years ago....

Dear Father Andrew, Have you heard the analogy of the frog in hot water?  The story goes that if you place a live frog in a pan of boiling water, he will jump right out.  But if you put him in water that's his own temperature, he'll happily stay there while you place the pan on the stove and slowly turn up the fire under it.  The frog, it is said, will cook to death without even noticing that the water is getting hotter.  Lately I've been reading about how partial birth abortions are done, and about such things as goddess worship in church services, and I think 'are we really so blind?!'  Can it be that people are not aware that the water all around us is almost boiling already?  It can feel pretty lonely to notice that the water is steadily growing hotter while so many around seem to be saying that this is exactly how the water should be and 'isn't it good that finally there is a bit of a warming trend'.... Nancy