Take a Closer Look

When violin strings were made of catgut and the bows were strung with horsehair, one unimaginative boor described violin-playing as "drawing the tail of a horse over the guts of a cat." That's enough to de-romanticize any tableside violin serenade!

Merely suface-viewing life's events depletes them of all fascination and makes life itself almost meaningless. The sport of golf would be simply hitting a ball and chasing it to hit is again until it goes in a hold! Ballet would be just juping up and down. Sculpture would be simply chipping pieces from a block of stone.

Perceiving a wider dimension of one's existence is a sign of human maturity, beyond an infant's way of viewing things. A worried, self-preoccupied man walking through a forest doesn't really see the beauty of the trees or the marvels of nature. his narrow mental vision anesthethzes his real awareness of his environment and the sense of mystery. Looking beyond the symbol into that which is symbolized is the rationale for religious vestments, or sacramentals like ashes on Ash Wednesday, incense, and oil. Only by a deeper look can one appreciate human dignity and rights in self and others. It is a skill that requires practice.

Start practicing, for instance, by looking below the surface of hard-to-love persons and seeing the hidden Jesus-presence there. "Whatever you did for one of these least of these brothers of mine, you did for me" (Mt 25:40).

This excerpt is from the book One-Minute Meditations for Busy People, by John H. Hampsch, C.M.F., originally published by Servant Publications. It and other of Fr. Hampsch's books and audio/video recordings can be purchased from Claretian Teaching Ministry, 20610 Manhattan Pl, #120, Torrance, CA 90501-1863. Phone 1-310-782-6408 or www.Catholicbooks.net