God is Watching Over Us

I let the pigeon fly free. We have two of these birds--given to the children as pets. And the pigeons have been living behind a divider wall inside the chicken coop. But I worried that they needed more space and opportunities to really fly. So one day, when my son had tucked them in his jacket to keep them warm, I told him he could let them fly outside the chicken coop. One of the birds flew high and far. She was impossible to catch. The other returned quickly to the safety of her enclosure.

The pigeons are like children. Some like to play it safe, eager to follow the rules. But others are risk takers, always testing the limits and boundaries of family life.

"A member of our family is missing?" my husband said with moist eyes after I admitted that I let the pigeons fly free and one of them hadn’t returned. My husband is a worrier. He went outside in the cold wind and stood by the chicken door, hoping the bird would come nearby and he could personally welcome it home.

I had assumed the bird could find its way back through the various holes in the coop. But my husband didn't believe it. As the day wore on, he was convinced the bird would be dead within hours, attacked by other birds or dashed to the ground by the now fierce wind. As our family watched from the windows, we spotted our bird with its distinctive markings, trying to get acquainted with other pigeons. They seemed to attack her. Our bird was chased out of trees and off the telephone wires.

And so we prayed for the pigeon. "What else can we do but pray?" I asked my husband. He looked over his glasses with an accusing stare. "Not let them out in the first place. That would be a start," he said. But once a thing has happened, prayer is an answer.

Why do we minimize it? Prayer is a great answer!

I prayed that the children’s pet would be safe. And I prayed that my husband would forgive me if my impulse to give more freedom, caused the bird's death.

That afternoon, when I went out to feed the animals, the wind was so punishing, there were no birds anywhere in sight. I wondered where they all hide when the weather is bad like this. Our yard is normally filled with sparrows and blackbirds and pigeons.

I went to the chicken coop, ready to admit it--the worst had happened. That's when I heard cooing. I looked behind the wall. Both pigeons were there! And they were climbing all over each other--happily saying, "You're safe. You're home. All is well."

My husband continues to playfully repeat, "There is a bird missing."
In a way, he is acknowledging that when a family member takes a step toward independence they take a part of us with them. He was also acknowledging in his playful way that I was right to have faith in the bird's ability to find her way home. And, it is important to trust in God who said He watches over everything, even the little birds.

But my husband's words, "A bird is missing," are also a reminder to me that we parents need to find a balance between supporting our children as they try out new things, and keeping them safe. They need both the boundaries and the options--the parent who would give them freedom to explore, and the one who would guard them.

And they need our prayers for those times when we can’t be present. Our children need their heavenly Mother to watch over them at all times.

Let us pray, "Mother Mary, guide our children as they explore the world. Be with them to keep them safe and show them how to live a life saying 'YES' to God."

The Handmaid’s Story

St. Bernard once wrote a homily as if he were talking to Mary who had just heard from the angel Gabriel. The gospel says, “Mary was greatly troubled by his words (of praise for her.)” Here is my version…

Dearest Mary,
I understand you’ve been visited by an angel whose message is quite unsettling. I can imagine so! You are being asked to step into the unknown and face great hardships. With the message you have just received, your future is suddenly shrouded in mystery. You must already sense the intensity that is to come…as if stepping into a fire.

But please say “yes” to this next part of your life…It means saying “yes” on behalf of the whole world. Your “yes” must certainly inspire any woman who is uncertain about becoming a mother. You are young. Your baby will be born in a stable and then you will be fleeing persecution. Suddenly homeless and hiding in a foreign land…these are not easy things for a new mother. And yet those are only the first of the many trials awaiting you.

But your “yes” means a new beginning for all of life. So much depends on you. Thank you for being willing to step forward into the darkness of the unknown in order to bring Light into the world.

I, too, am a mother. so I understand a tiny bit of the unknowns you face. When I realized I was pregnant, I was worried about the future. These are hard times for children and for marriages. The pressures on the family are intense. And I had no idea back then that motherhood is so hard!

After my children started school, I thought I had it “all figured out” about how to be a mother! The tantrums had stopped and the children started to be successful in many things. I’m with them a lot and we have tried to pass on a strong faith. Yet, they are still tempted by worldly glitter. How do I help them resist the temptations of the world as they become more independent? How do I help them walk on the narrow path when all around them there is immodesty, self-gratification and self-absorption?

I’d like to know that it will all turn out all right. I’d like to see into the future to be sure my actions lead to good outcomes. But that is one of the lessons from your “yes” isn’t it? You gave your life to God as a servant, a “handmaid.” It means surrendering the ego while acting according to the guidance you receive. It means rusting in your Son who promised to stay with us.

Do you think if I made more room for Him in my heart, I might feel His guiding presence, too? Here’s what I’m thinking…if you say “yes” to the angel, in order to bring salvation into the world, I should be able to say “yes” to more humility, more trust and more prayer.

To give birth means letting a new life come through our bodies. It is awe-inspiring to participate in such a venture. I rejoice with you in this miracle.

Ah! I hear your “yes” now. It echoes through the ages. Did you grow in courage and wisdom with that one tiny word? I can almost see it in your face. You are accepting and embracing all that is to come…there will be wonders and wounds, joys and trials. Let it all come as it will. This journey is in God’s hands.

“I am the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be done unto me according to thy Word.”