"What Jesus movie are they watching?" This was a question posed by an 8-year-old visitor we had at the convent. She had been used to walking through the halls and into rooms bustling with sisters but that particular day, all was silent. "Where are all of the sisters?"
One of the sisters with her had to explain, "They're not watching a Jesus movie this weekend. They're watching Star Wars and National Treasure." This is not an answer one would expect to hear about what sisters did in a convent on a Sunday afternoon.
I will let someone else speak to Star Wars, as I was deeply involved in searching for the President's Secret Book!
There is just something about a good treasure hunt, mostly made-up history, and action and adventure that feeds my soul.
But what is it? What is it that draws me so deeply into the mystery?
As I reflected on this question in the evening and even into the night, I realized the answer lies in looking at the ordinary and seeing the extraordinary.
There's a code on a page that had been ripped out of a journal, a clue written on the Statue of Liberty, and another is hidden in a desk with a built-in puzzle. A journal, statue, and desk are all very normal objects, yet there is a deeper, hidden reality that they point to and therein lies the mystery.
What I realized is that there are clues all around me and you too!
There are clues in my ordinary and everyday life, very concrete and tangible clues, that were created to lead me to a veiled and eternal treasure. Clues are everywhere! We need only the right eyesight, perspective, and gift of faith to "see as we look not to what is seen but to what is unseen; for what is seen is transitory, but what is unseen is eternal" (2 Cor. 4:18).
When we look at the ordinary and see the extraordinary, the mystery of God is unveiled before our very eyes! And that is an adventure, because you never know where you are going to find him!
An obvious clue we think about is a rainbow, reminding us of God's faithfulness to his promises.
But what about a spider web covered in dew and glistening in the sunlight? It lets me know that there is a hidden web of grace connecting all believers and events of the world. And a crescent moon hanging in the sky at dusk reminds me of the shape of the gash in Christ's side and his invitation to me to curl up there for protection and comfort.
One sister looks at an electrical outlet with three holes in one plug and sees the mystery of the Trinity. I'll let her explain all of the details—it's too much for this short blog! Another sister meditates on Our Lady's "yes" or fiat as she sits in bumper-to-bumper traffic behind a Fiat car.
The clues are endless and they are everywhere because God, the creator of the universe, wants us to find him. He has left us clues in the world that lead us to him, the greatest treasure! It is not a treasure of silver and gold that is perishable but a treasure of the "immeasurable riches of his grace" (Eph. 2:7).
So, as you look around at the ordinary things in your life, do you see the ordinary or the extraordinary? What clues are around you that you might be missing?
I invite you to join the adventure, become a treasure hunter and unveil the mystery of the worlds' greatest treasure ... the God of the universe!
Sr. Sophia Grace Huschka, T.O.R.
