Tales and prayers

GOD SAW THAT IT WAS GOOD

Among the innumerable wonders great and small that sprang from his heart, there was one that made God's gaze shine especially brightly. Tiny or immense, cloudy or crystalline, weak or powerful, it sang the joy of its Creator all over the planet. Lady Water, you have certainly recognized, had established her dwelling in the smallest folds of the ground. Warm and refreshing in the brilliant sun of the tropics or slippery and shivering under the aurora borealis of the Arctic, she had built her house. Well adapted to the land that had welcomed her, she was the joy of the surroundings.

There was a spring, a stream, a lake and a river.

The small spring flowed at the edge of a small village. The women came every morning to draw the precious liquid that was essential to their daily tasks. The inhabitants of the woods, from the sparrow to the bear, also knew the place very well.

The cheerful stream continued its crazy course through the woods and valleys while irrigating the fields and gardens. It even knew how to keep its calm to reflect the happy face of a young lover.

The lake was nicely nestled in the hollow of a magnificent mountain with eternal snow. Families had built their homes around its mirror and people from all over came to rest there. Its legendary beauty invited poets and painters to dare the wildest dreams.

The mighty river proudly carried the boats and their cargoes to the port and welcomed the fishermen to lead them to the currents teeming with fish.

God looked upon his works with admiration every day and they seemed so beautiful to him. Yet something was wrong. Each of his beloved creatures lived in his own little world, rich in his strengths and sometimes sad, helpless in the face of his weaknesses. "I have given each of them everything they need to fulfill their mission," God said to himself, "but it seems to me, on some days, that they don't see it, that they don't fully appreciate it.  Maybe they do...it's a good idea, a great idea."

And so it was that one fine Tuesday morning, the spring, the stream, the lake and the river each received an invitation. The letter read: "I'll be waiting for you at first light on Sunday at my house," signed your Father. What a surprise and what joy! The week seemed much longer than usual, but it ended like all the others and the long awaited day arrived. Everyone had put on their best colors and prepared their most beautiful song.

The Creator's welcome was lovingly warm, but there was a touch of shyness and fear in the air before the unknown, the difference of the other. There was a little fear of not being up to the task. God, who was well aware of the uneasiness, undertook to make the introductions himself and asked each guest to share a little of his life and his dreams. What a discovery!  The spring could never have imagined the strength of the river. The river was amazed by the lake's riches. The lake, in turn, could not believe the exuberant joy of the stream, and the stream could not stop praising the wisdom of the spring. Each creature marveled at the beauty of the other. Together they discovered that they were different but also very similar.

And then God, seeing that a climate of trust prevailed, also gave the chance to anyone who wanted to, to share their fears and misadventures. At first, there was a long silence and then the source started and the others followed. Each one recognized himself or herself so well in the misfortunes of the other. Deep down, they realized that the dreams were the same, that everywhere there were sunny days and sometimes violent storms, but that everyone was doing their best with a lot of love, and that's what was important.

The hours passed too quickly and the sunset announced the end of the meeting. At the time of the "goodbye" each one realized that they had created such a strong and sweet bond that nothing could ever separate them again. Their brotherly sharing had broken the boundaries of their little world. They had discovered within themselves a hidden garden, where they could always find each other; a place of communion as vast as the sea and as deep as the abyss, where beyond their diversity the very presence of their Father would always reach them and make them brothers and sisters, one family for eternity.

Their hearts vibrating with a rainbow of Alleluia, greater and richer for the solidarity they had begun to build, they set out on their return journey; all in the joy of living the mission that the Father had entrusted to them "under his gaze in Love."