Just a walk through the park

A couple years ago, I attended a retreat at the Community of St. John in Princeville, IL lead by the semi-famous Fr. Nathan. During one of those talks, Fr. Nathan said that sometimes following God's will was like a husband going for a walk through the park with his wife. Normally, this is a very sweet scene, as husband and wife stroll along the path looking at the beauty of the flowers and trees together. However, the scene takes on a whole new beauty if the wife is blind. As they walk through the park, the husband keeps his blind wife on the path with gentle motions of the hand, and if the wife lets go, then she may wander into the flowers and feel the pain of the thorns. But if she holds on to her husband's hand, and follows him step by step, she can still sense the beauty of the place dimly. Her husband's descriptions, though, become her main source of knowledge.

Of course, in this analogy, the fallen human soul is akin to the blind wife. Our senses and intellect have been dimmed by sin, and while we can still somewhat sense the beauty that is around us, there is so much that we can miss. Our best way to know the true goodness in things is by listening and taking to heart the words of our souls' husband, God. Though we can still come to knowledge on our own, His Divine Revelation is a description of Beauty itself that is given to us out of love. This Divine Revelation must be the knowledge that we value above all others. Philosophy, the Sciences, Math, Economics, Politics - all of these are good and worthy of our pursuit as well. The loving words of the Bridegroom, though, are what is really important. "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God."


What really got me thinking about this analogy, though, was the lessons in it for how we are to follow God's will. I've noticed in myself, and in a number of friends around me, that there is a certain restlessness about God's will. In conversation with people my age, many seem restless about what the future holds for them. They don't know if they are called to married or religious life. They don't know when they're going to be able to afford to pursue to live the life they want for their children. They're not sure what they're called to do in the work sphere. There seems to be so many people in their mid-20's who are anxious to have all the stability of people in their mid-40's!


Liz and I fall into this category. We worry about jobs, education, buying a home, providing for our children. I tend to become over anxious about these things. But then I go back to the image of the blind wife, following her love in the garden. She doesn't know the path, and if she concentrates too much on finding the way for herself she will miss what her husband is saying to her. She will also miss the gentle motions of His hand, as He guides her through the garden. She may even let go, thinking she feels the path going another direction and then end up among the thorns of the flowers that are there for her to enjoy. In order for her to avoid this, she has to stop concentrating on the path and start concentrating on her husband. She must trust Him, and learn to respond to His gentle touch. She doesn't know where the path will go, or what sort of turns lie ahead of her. But she can't worry about that, she just needs to focus on her Love. He will guide her through the garden in such a way as to make her happy.


I pray for all of us in our mid-20's, just graduated from college. As we begin our lives, I pray that we might not be anxious. I pray that we can totally focus on the Love of our souls, who guides us through this garden of life with gentle and loving motions of His hand. And I especially pray that we can let go of our own efforts enough that we can learn to enjoy the garden through His eyes.

Ah, glorious Summer

A remarkable thing happened this past Tuesday - Summer began. Indeed, since it was a slow news day, major news outlets were full of explanations as to why June 21st was the beginning of Summer. They lucidly explained that on June 21st the sun would reach its highest point in the sky at precisely 1:16 pm EDT, and in fact would be directly overhead on the Tropic of Cancer at that point. Hogwash.

I have to laugh when I hear these reports on the two solstices and two equinoxes during the year. They always seem to imply that seasons and time are measured by the scientists, like all things in life. For most real people, though, Summer started many weeks ago, because in reality life is not ruled by scientific definitions. For my wife Liz and I, summer started on Memorial Day weekend. That weekend we attended a wedding, went to the subsequent outdoor reception, grilled burgers at my best man's house, enjoyed alcoholic drinks with lime (Corona's and GT's, a particular favorite of Liz), and stayed out late so that we could drive home when it was cooler. These are the sort of things that truly define Summer, not the analytical definitions of science.

For us, Summer is about outdoor picnics with family and friends. It's about getting outside just because you can. Liz has recently started taking our son Alan out on walks in the afternoon. Its a chance for her to enjoy the weather, stretch the legs, and breath in some fresh air. For his own part, Alan is a little man who truly understands Summer. He's fascinated by the outside and never grows weary of all the splendors of nature. His always naps underneath the wide open skies, and when he comes in he is immediately ready to eat.

A truly wise young man! Food is an especially important part of Summer. While philosophically I espouse a local view of food consumption, I do not always follow my intellectual convictions. The lime, for instance, being God's fruit for Summer, should be mass distributed in a good society. Summer calls for limes in the same way that Fall calls for apples. It is truly Summer when you can enjoy an alcoholic drink with lime. At all other times of the year, the lime seems out of place. Ah, but in the Summer, it is the most necessary ingredient! It always feels wrong to drink a Corona in Summer without lime. Sometimes extraordinary circumstances call for such a sacrifice, like when your friend has several Coronas left in the fridge but has made the fatal mistake of running out of lime. At such times, the demands of friendship are rigorous. At all other times, the demands of Summer for limes should take precedence.

All said, then, Summer is a time for truly vigorous living. If Spring is the dawn of life, and Fall is its consummation, Summer is that season where life is truly itself. It is that time of year where God tells you to rejoice, work, pray and love. It's the time for weddings, barbecues, late nights and adventures. Winter and its focus on the home, the hearth and the family will come. Now is the time to rejoice in God's amazing creation! And such an amazing gift it is.