Signs of Spring

By Fr. Tom Zelinksi, OFM Cap.

In recent years I have been thinking that it’s important for us to look and look again at familiar things so that we really see and appreciate them.

Here in the upper Midwest we are surrounded by signs of spring. Little ducklings already; soon little geese; buds and new leaves on trees; soon new fawns will appear. The birds flutter in their nest building. Hummingbirds, tiny creatures, return after traveling hundreds, maybe thousands of miles from their winter homes.

The skeptic may say “So what? This all happens every year.” Indeed it does, and it all appears like so many miracles. We ought to pay attention. Against this backdrop of the “peaceable kingdom,” we see less appealing news. I saw a scary statistic that said 75% of all plastic is NOT recycled. Where does it end up? Our planet home is sick. We need to do better for the sake of all the creatures, including ourselves.

There is the steady drumbeat of war and violence in the news; some things seem downright evil.  I watch the silent holy deer in our woods and ask “How can there be evil in such a world?”

We come back to ourselves in the springtime. Can we look, and look again, and appreciate what we see? Can we find peace and justice in ourselves and share these with all neighbors?