Earthly Moments

by Lori DeGiorgio, RDC

 

Some people are born with a relentless, subterranean and almost painful longing for reunion with Divinity.

 

They know that all life’s most joyous moments bring only a fleeting glimpse of what paradise has been and will be again someday.

 

How soft is a baby’s cheek, a brother’s tousled hair

The safety of grandfather’s hand-holding, a sure and steady partner in the eternal God-quest

Chanting that hypnotizes, incense that can burn one’s eyes and titillate one’s senses

Looking up at humankind’s monuments to God in stone and glass, her soul healed thereby

A Mother and child constructed of myriad colored pieces bring consolation and model tenderness

Birthing two boys and loving them into manhood

Moving with the ocean waves in the morning, body swaying to their rhythm

The miracle of wildflowers and a well-tended formal garden, sunsets over the water whose colors appear nowhere else

Finding harbor in the Church of Rome, feeling relief and gratitude to be home for the first time

Knowing the kindly wisdom and steady presence of mentor and friend

Feeling what God feels when a new work begins that will usher the helpless into the immense, cozy heart of Divine Compassion

 

These earthly moments can never be replayed with exactitude, only felt with shadowed remembrance that pulls one forward to the next day.

 

They stir unfathomable longing and hope that has wings.

 

Such was the life of Mother Mary Veronica.