December 17, 2022

I was once sitting on a park bench across from a young woman who was patiently waiting for someone.  With a nervous smile on her face, her eyes looked off into the distance.  She conversed with a friend but her mind was obviously somewhere else.  When he finally arrived – it was her beloved – she erupted with joy, jumping up and down, embracing him, showering him with kisses, squeezing his face, totally elated.  Isn’t my heart constantly searching for this kind of contact?  Doesn’t this encounter sum up the meaning of my own existence?  Aren’t my various attachments in life just awkward ways of trying to get this vital need met?  Pause. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. Indeed, this is the drama that is playing out within our souls this very moment. Let’s therefore quiet down, grow attentive, wait patiently, and be prepared to endure the nervous tension on whatever bench we find ourselves.  Then, when the time is right – AND IT WILL HAPPEN – we shall run out to meet our lover and rejoice (cf. Song 3:4, Jn 20:4).  Ave Crux, Spes Unica.