God's Jigsaw Puzzle

I was sitting in church Sunday morning before Mass, letting my mind wander, praying, daydreaming, trying to find a solution to some problem or other.  A woman came down the aisle, then stopped to talk to the couple behind me.  She said that today’s Mass was being offered for her daughter who had died many years ago.  She talked about the impact her daughter’s death had made on her family, particularly her husband, mentioning him by his first name.  I was a bit irritated, since I was hoping there would be more quiet-time and less conversation before Mass, but I said a quick prayer for both the young woman who died, as well as her remaining family.  I then I let my thoughts return to my own minor problems. 

Once Mass started, the lector mentioned the Mass intention, the full name of the young woman who had died so long ago.  Years back I knew a man with the same last name, who had told me a similar story of the death of his daughter.  That’s when the pieces of the puzzle started to fit into place, the mother who lost a daughter, the father of a deceased child, and the young woman’s memory being prayed for at this Mass; they were one family, and in a small way I was connected to them by memory and by my participation in this Mass.

I also realized that I was part of a much bigger picture, God’s jigsaw puzzle of life.  The puzzle is huge, and the missing pieces sometimes take years to find and fit into place, but I am a part of that puzzle that forms a picture of our church community.  Just like a jigsaw puzzle where a puzzle piece is just a blob of brown and blue, but when snapped into place becomes part of a boat sitting in the water, I see how I seem unconnected, but when snapped into place I become part of a bigger picture of my church community.   We really are connected to each other, much more than I realized, and our actions do affect each other.  It is nice to know that on this journey, with its trials and joys, uncertainty and clarity, I’m not alone but am surrounded by other travelers who share my beliefs, my fears, and my love of God.  I am a small but unique piece of God’s jigsaw puzzle, traveling with similar people of faith who by their actions validate my beliefs and strengthen my resolve to finish the journey to God and to home.