Pronghorn Parable: Lenten Silence
The following is an adaptation of a piece our pastor, Father Chiapa, wrote. In it he tells a story that is Colorado’s Eastern Plains’ answer to Pamplona’s running of the bulls.
In the midst of a Colorado winter, I am struck by the quiet beauty of sunny, mildly warm days. One such day as I was driving on a country road late in the afternoon with no one to be seen for miles, I saw near the road in a ploughed field a herd of unusual looking game. They were more than 20, smaller and more curious than deer, with light brown fur and slim horns. They were Colorado antelope, of course, but I didn’t know that at the time. I was just fascinated by a group of amazing creatures silently staring at me as I drew near.
Their heads followed me in unison as I approached, then their leader chose to run and off they all went, running along side my car. The excitement of watching a group of animals that are graceful, noiseless and swift is….incredible! Abruptly, they turned to the east to be lost in the semi-wilderness of our vast, open surroundings. The combination of the winter day and the running herd was truly a poetic image that showed me the greatness of God.
From all eternity God designed that hour to shine with the radiance of the light, vastness, swiftness, power and silence of His creation. In His mercy, He disposed that I should be the single privileged witness of that simple but magnificent aspect of His creation. The Lord certainly does not need spectators to admire the greatness of His power, but in His infinite kindness, He invites us to rejoice in the beauty of His creation.
What a mystery is the power of God surrounding us in such eloquent ways. Every day, every moment of our lives, we are being cared for by the loving Providence of God, and if we take the time to be silent and look around us, we will be able to see and rejoice in the simple, powerful ways in which the Lord assures us of His Fatherly presence, for “everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected when received with thanksgiving.” (1Tim 4:4)
Jezum, ufam Tobie.