April 19, 2010
Today reading The Last Battle with my two children, I was really struck by the blindness of The Dwarfs who - after being duped by the false Aslan (Puzzle in lion-skin) - decide they will believe in nothing. Their slogan is this, "The Dwarfs are for the Dwarfs." They personify the self-interest that is so prevalent today, as well as in C.S. Lewis' day, I suppose.
And, in the chapter where all the protagonists are flung into the stable and find a beautiful world there with all the Kings and Queens of Narnia, the Dwarfs still find themselves in a dark stable. They are in the SAME PLACE. And yet, the Dwarfs see nothing but dark, and feel nothing but discomfort. Even after the King and Aslan try to help them, they are oblivious.
"You see," said Aslan. "They will not let us help them. They have chosen cunning instead of belief. Their prison is only in their own minds, yet they are in that prison; and so afraid of being taken in that they cannot be taken out."
I know a lot of Dwarfs. It can be hard not to be a Dwarf in the modern world. But I'm with Queen Lucy... It is truly saddening to watch people sit miserably in the dark when they can choose beauty, hope, and life.
Showing posts with label hope. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hope. Show all posts
Monday, April 19, 2010
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Gifts, hoping and waiting
Dec. 28, 2008
My excellent pastor here in VA is two for two with his homilies on Christmas Eve and the Feast of the Holy Family. Although I am still homesick for TN, I have to admit that the pastor here is wonderful and the church is absolutely beautiful.
On Christmas Eve, in a packed church where seating was, shall we say, competitive, he talked about gifts. The difference between gifts and rewards is that gifts, of course, do not need to be earned. And in Christ we have the gift of God's pure love. But then he also talked about how sometimes we can be disappointed by gifts and added that sometimes children and grownups can focus more on life's disappointments than all of the wonderful gifts we receive from God, such as peace, love joy, etc. I wonder if he chose to mention that because he had spent the previous two evenings offering extra hours of confessions for the last-chancers among us. Anyway, it was spot on, for me at least.
And today, he spoke of the Holy Family and our own families. And he said that we all hope, in our earthly families, that each person reaches the potential that God has for us in this world. We hope that, we pray that and then we wait. Again, perfect homily for me to hear on this day as we prepare to begin a new year and we wait and hope to hear about hubby's potential new job or anything else for that matter.
My excellent pastor here in VA is two for two with his homilies on Christmas Eve and the Feast of the Holy Family. Although I am still homesick for TN, I have to admit that the pastor here is wonderful and the church is absolutely beautiful.
On Christmas Eve, in a packed church where seating was, shall we say, competitive, he talked about gifts. The difference between gifts and rewards is that gifts, of course, do not need to be earned. And in Christ we have the gift of God's pure love. But then he also talked about how sometimes we can be disappointed by gifts and added that sometimes children and grownups can focus more on life's disappointments than all of the wonderful gifts we receive from God, such as peace, love joy, etc. I wonder if he chose to mention that because he had spent the previous two evenings offering extra hours of confessions for the last-chancers among us. Anyway, it was spot on, for me at least.
And today, he spoke of the Holy Family and our own families. And he said that we all hope, in our earthly families, that each person reaches the potential that God has for us in this world. We hope that, we pray that and then we wait. Again, perfect homily for me to hear on this day as we prepare to begin a new year and we wait and hope to hear about hubby's potential new job or anything else for that matter.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
