Poor Dead Baby Bird
After a storm, a dead baby bird lay in the grass, naked, twisted, dead to the world. The winds the night before were too strong for the mother to protect her baby. They were both vulnerable and helpless to the power of the storm.
The baby bird came from a little egg, maybe the egg was a beautiful blue. The mother took care to sit, hatch and feed the innocent creature but destruction came and destroyed the life.
Think, Choose, and Love
In 2nd grade, the Catholic Church teaches the children that we are made in the image and likeness of God. What does that mean? We are rational souls because we can think, choose, and love. What makes us different than, say a dog? Dogs can most certainly love, and somewhat think, but they don't really get to choose. The owner feeds them, takes them on a walk, ties them up and so on. The can't really choose because God gave us dominion over the animals of the Earth.
Free Will and Our Purpose
Since we have rational thinking, we have free will. We have to make decisions every day that effect our lives and others lives. The freedom of choice is a wonderful thing! The United States of America has to be blessed by God because he wants for us all the freedoms available so we can freely choose him. Each and every decision we make has a consequence, good or bad. We do not live in isolation but as community. Respecting others and their freedoms is also key to living in community.
How do we view our freedom to choose? Are we concerned only about our little bubble? Are we compassionate to take care to protect the baby bird and rescue it from the storm? Sometimes we don't know the baby bird is in trouble, so do we take care to clean up after the storm? Each of is made in the image of God. He made each of us for a purpose. The first purpose is to be born in a world with others. The other purpose, as we also teach the 2nd graders, is to know, love and serve God. To know God is to also find your specific purpose here during this lifetime so you can love and serve God and others. When you live a life of purpose, you can live a life of abundant joy.
Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.
Our forefathers in this country had it right when they wrote that we have the right to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of happiness. To live, be free, and be a joy to yourself and others is truly what God intended. Let us be born, truly live, choose wisely and let freedom ring.
"The Lord called me from birth, from my mother's womb, he gave me my name." Isaiah 49:1
"I give you thanks because I am fearfully and wonderfully made." Psalm 139:14
