Father Nick’s oldest son, who will graduate this spring from
a private high school, translated the homily from Spanish into English phrase-by-phrase. My
take-away was once again simple but profound, as Fr. Nick used a metaphor about
fish. When a fish is kept in a small
bowl, it will remain small – but when it is transferred to a large tank or even
the ocean, it will grow to full potential. Similarly, when our faith
in Christ is kept small, predictable, and comfortable, it may be quite real and
genuine, and yet it doesn’t grow. But
when we’re willing to confront fears, and entertain doubts and questions (venture into the unknown and unpredictable), our
faith expands with deeper meaning and greater impact.
Toward the end of the service an outdoor processional celebrated
an historic day in Orthodoxy. Quite a
moving experience to watch this reverent throng walk the grounds.
I napped in the afternoon, luxuriously so, and when I woke
the guys were finishing up transplanting wild plants (including a sizeable
tree!) in the yard.
They also demonstrated their new outdoor light, mounted on
the side of the house. It worked!
I wasn’t sure what we would have for dinner…so we joked
about harvesting snails as they climbed the walls of the house (out in full force as
evening approached) for some sort of escargot creation. No worries, it didn’t happen. J
Dinner ended up being leftovers, enjoyed on a bench in front
of a fire as the sun faded over the ocean.
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