"Blessed are the clean of heart: for they shall see God." -Matthew 5:8
I recently purchased a children's book called The Legend of the Cape May Diamond by Trinka Hakes Noble, illustrated by E.B. Lewis. I highly recommend it not only for its wonderful storytelling, beautiful pictures, and local history value, but also because it's sort of a metaphorical tale.
As long as I can remember we collected Cape May diamonds, and we brought them home and tumbled them, made them into jewelry, collected them, etc. My dad even had one made into an engagement ring for his wife. But I had no idea of how they came to be or of their historical importance.
In this story, the Delaware River "could not tell where it was going"
"high up in the old Appalachian Mountains" thousands of years ago. So the river said, "I will send my best daughters downstream to see where my journey leads...someday they will return to tell me what they have seen."
The story continues by telling the story of these "dutiful daughters of the Delaware." Though their journey was long and rough, and they were "scoured and burnished and polished by the rough river beds," though they traveled unseen along the bottom of the river, it was because of this experience that "the little stones [turned] into sparkling eyes, bright and clear, so they could see everything."
And it was because of this that the stones were held in high esteem by the Lenape people. The stone's ability to be seen through meant it "would have a higher purpose" and never be used as wampum (currency).
"And so the Lenape people made this sacred stone the symbol of loyalty and lasting friendship, because a true friend is a trusted friend with nothing to hide, just like this rare translucent stone."
Interestingly, in 1735 a large group of Lenape, the Kechemeche tribe, "decided to move further inland, away from the European settlers, but their chief, King Nummy, stayed behind. Before they left, the Kechemeche tribe presented King Nummy with a large flawless stone to pledge their enduring loyalty and friendship to him."
I'm not sure what it is about this story I find so touching. In part I think it's just deeply personal for me, for some reason. But I also think that in the story the Cape May diamond represents the human heart, and the Delaware River represents God. Our hearts should be transparent, just as our lives should be. Really we should have nothing to hide. Like these "little sparkling daughters of the Delaware" which "glisten like tears in the shallow waves because they never got back to tell the river of [their] beautiful journeys," we too are shaped by God in our lives. Sometimes the water becomes "murky, harsh, and salty." Sometimes we, too, are pushed and pulled by powerful tides, feeling as if we may be "swept out to sea, never to be seen again." But we never struggle in vain. We must trust God in His wisdom.
"Although he should kill me, I will trust in him..." Job 13:15*
All along their journey, the little stones observed many wonderful things about life in and along the river, and in their obedience remembered them saying, "This will please the river." In the end, if we keep the Faith, we will become things of great value, "precious little stones."
* Poor old Job was a "type" or prefiguration of Christ, an innocent man who is afflicted, but also a type of "sinful man" who struggles with God. In his tremendous suffering, he even wondered "why did I not die in the womb" (Job 3:11). So often is God's will mysterious. We do not understand why we suffer in this life. Tonight I heard Fr. Benedict Groeschel say that he thought it very likely that the Blessed Mother in her great anguish prayed that her Son would not be crucified, but ultimately He was, since it was, of course, God's will. Though He was and is the Savior of the world and His suffering had great purpose, our own suffering also has purpose, if only to help us rely on Jesus. But we must not become resigned, we must persevere. With the gift of fortitude, we become shaped by God in His infinite mercy.
I recently purchased a children's book called The Legend of the Cape May Diamond by Trinka Hakes Noble, illustrated by E.B. Lewis. I highly recommend it not only for its wonderful storytelling, beautiful pictures, and local history value, but also because it's sort of a metaphorical tale.
As long as I can remember we collected Cape May diamonds, and we brought them home and tumbled them, made them into jewelry, collected them, etc. My dad even had one made into an engagement ring for his wife. But I had no idea of how they came to be or of their historical importance.
In this story, the Delaware River "could not tell where it was going"
"high up in the old Appalachian Mountains" thousands of years ago. So the river said, "I will send my best daughters downstream to see where my journey leads...someday they will return to tell me what they have seen."The story continues by telling the story of these "dutiful daughters of the Delaware." Though their journey was long and rough, and they were "scoured and burnished and polished by the rough river beds," though they traveled unseen along the bottom of the river, it was because of this experience that "the little stones [turned] into sparkling eyes, bright and clear, so they could see everything."
And it was because of this that the stones were held in high esteem by the Lenape people. The stone's ability to be seen through meant it "would have a higher purpose" and never be used as wampum (currency).
"And so the Lenape people made this sacred stone the symbol of loyalty and lasting friendship, because a true friend is a trusted friend with nothing to hide, just like this rare translucent stone."
Interestingly, in 1735 a large group of Lenape, the Kechemeche tribe, "decided to move further inland, away from the European settlers, but their chief, King Nummy, stayed behind. Before they left, the Kechemeche tribe presented King Nummy with a large flawless stone to pledge their enduring loyalty and friendship to him."
I'm not sure what it is about this story I find so touching. In part I think it's just deeply personal for me, for some reason. But I also think that in the story the Cape May diamond represents the human heart, and the Delaware River represents God. Our hearts should be transparent, just as our lives should be. Really we should have nothing to hide. Like these "little sparkling daughters of the Delaware" which "glisten like tears in the shallow waves because they never got back to tell the river of [their] beautiful journeys," we too are shaped by God in our lives. Sometimes the water becomes "murky, harsh, and salty." Sometimes we, too, are pushed and pulled by powerful tides, feeling as if we may be "swept out to sea, never to be seen again." But we never struggle in vain. We must trust God in His wisdom.
"Although he should kill me, I will trust in him..." Job 13:15*
All along their journey, the little stones observed many wonderful things about life in and along the river, and in their obedience remembered them saying, "This will please the river." In the end, if we keep the Faith, we will become things of great value, "precious little stones."
Blessed Mother of God, patron of our precious little parish, protect and pray for St. Mary's!
* Poor old Job was a "type" or prefiguration of Christ, an innocent man who is afflicted, but also a type of "sinful man" who struggles with God. In his tremendous suffering, he even wondered "why did I not die in the womb" (Job 3:11). So often is God's will mysterious. We do not understand why we suffer in this life. Tonight I heard Fr. Benedict Groeschel say that he thought it very likely that the Blessed Mother in her great anguish prayed that her Son would not be crucified, but ultimately He was, since it was, of course, God's will. Though He was and is the Savior of the world and His suffering had great purpose, our own suffering also has purpose, if only to help us rely on Jesus. But we must not become resigned, we must persevere. With the gift of fortitude, we become shaped by God in His infinite mercy.