Last week, I was at Emerald Isle with my family. In addition to my delight in being with my children and grandchildren and their spouses and partners, I received a neat lesson on the spiritual life.
I was holding one of my grandsons, J.B., who is two and a half. On the first evening, I pointed to the horizon and said, “Look, the sun is setting.” We gazed off the balcony, from which we had a view of the sunset, the sunrise, and the ocean in between.
As he saw the sun disappear, there was some separation anxiety. When he said, “Good night, Sun,” it felt ominous, like a sad parting with possible larger implications. Maybe this was the end of his fun at the beach or a signal there would be less time with Granda. Who knows. Maybe he thought this was the end of the world as we know it.
We talked a little more about the sun. I assured him we’d see it again in the morning. Sure enough, we saw the sun the next day. The ritual repeated each evening for the next few days. Each night, J.B. would say, “Good night, Sun.” As the week progressed, each parting came with greater assurance. The sun will rise again.
Then Thursday came. There were clouds on the western horizon. The sun disappeared completely behind the clouds. J.B. was traumatized. “Where did the sun go?” His faithful friend was gone. We again assured him the sun was there, just hiding behind the clouds.
The story conveys deeper truths about the consolations and desolations that are a natural part of the spiritual life. The sun will set. Darkness will descend. The sadness and grief that comes from a loss may be overwhelming. God may have even disappeared completely behind the ominous clouds of life.
When this happens it’s a good time to recall God’s faithfulness. Saint Ignatius states in his eighth rule on the discernment of spirits that when the sun sets ignore “the vexations which come” and be assured that one day you “will soon be consoled.” (Spiritual Exercises, 321). The sun will rise again. These assurances could come from a friend, a spiritual director, or an intentional review of many sunrises God has already delivered.
May you see God’s daily revelation to you through the eyes of a two-year-old. And may God bring you many beautiful sunsets and sunrises this week.
Quote to Ponder
Sometimes a two-year-old can see a reality that adult eyes easily overlook. God’s revelation is constant. It’s as Henri de Lubac (Cardinal and Theologian) says,
When we see things anew, “We are shown a new country, a home we had originally ignored, and as soon as we perceive it we recognize it as older and truer than anything we had known and with claims upon our heart.”