A couple of scenes that are now etched in my mind: The first is that of a young woman (though not so young). She shared with me, with signs and gestures of joy, that the pandemic has allowed her and her husband to
discover a depth of love that brought tears to their eyes. A love never imagined. The second is of a grandmother. She shared how she managed to visit her grandchild. The most special of children who never ceased to surprise given the impulsiveness of his autism. The child exclaimed at morning time, “What! One more day! It was as angel song filled with innocence and joy.
Scenes like these are extraordinary and they provoke the deep desire that there be a way to relish the taste over and over, and continue to relish and relish what they reveal. Behold, this is the reality that is true, all else is not even worth the bother. Once you get a taste of these marvels, the appetite becomes a hunger for more: the picture that sits on the shelf, once again inspires a smile; the hand that reaches out and steals the grace of love
from someone dear; the deep breath taken at the end of the day that is already the beginning of a good night’s rest.
All of this calls us to slow down, to be more at peace, to rest a bit more and allow ourselves to be moved by gratitude and not by societies cynicism and indifference. It is in these spaces that we gain a sense of God, often a surprising sense of God. God does not interrupt life with strange occurrences that belong in a fairy tale or on the SciFi channel. God allows himself to be seen all the time, his presence and smile can be discovered in the ordinary that becomes extraordinary. It is discovered in this God of ours that invites us to be with him. This is a favorite expression, “to be with him”, in the language of Jesus it becomes “to be in my heart”. The Lord invites us to his heart, and from his heart, live as he lives and of his Spirit.
The night is almost over, the terror of the pandemic is waning away. Hopefully we have discovered a love never imagined. Hopefully we have discovered the surprise of one more day, as if it were the first and only. Hopefully we have discovered an appetite become hunger, for more and more. We need to live “from his heart”. This is were the vaccine against cynicism and indifference is to be found; each day the extraordinary in the ordinary and each day also search out for a way to give others at least a little taste.
The night is almost over, soon we will be able to go out on the street without fear. We will be different for having discovered the marvels of our Lord, who never abandons us, he always has and always will keep us safe in his heart.
Father Francisco Gómez, S.T.