Grasshoppers! That’s the word that jumped out at me while praying with Isaiah 40:22 – “He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth; its dwellers are like grasshoppers.” Grasshoppers? The extended passage had so many other thoughts in it, why did I keep coming back to “grasshoppers?” It made me laugh, of course, and continued to bring a smile as the word kept returning to my memory for several weeks. Finally I felt called to investigate a little, so started by googling the word to see what would come up Biblically.
This is the first note that I found: Pope Saint Gregory the Great is said to have seen the grasshopper as a sign from God that he was to return to Rome after beginning a journey to England to be a missionary there. As they paused on their journey, three days from Rome, a grasshopper, also called a locust, jumped on to the book he was reading. “Rightly is it called locust,” he said, “because it seems to say to us, loco sta (locusta),—stay in your place!” He interpreted this as meaning he should stay in Rome, and abort his mission to England. As he was arriving at this decision, messengers arrived from Rome calling him to return there. Holy Spirit intervention, discerned by St Gregory for a decision that had a positive impact on the whole Church! ( For more of this story, see https://www.catholic365.com/article/35503/gregory-and-the-grasshopper.html).
As I prayed with this, two thoughts entered the conversation. One was God’s call for me to stay where I am – to limit my outside activities and stay home to address the projects that have been awaiting me here for a long time. Time to get my own house in order before embarking on new adventures!
The second message seemed to be a confirmation of the call to acknowledge my own littleness, and be content and happy to be the child of God that I am. No great expeditions or extravaganzas, but to continue to savor the graces of being “Nobody,” just living a simple life and doing the next right thing each day. I’ve always loved the poem by Emily Dickenson:
:
I’m Nobody! Who are you?
Are you – Nobody – too?
Then there’s a pair of us!
Don’t tell! They’d advertise – you know!
How dreary – to be – Somebody!
How public – like a Frog
To tell one’s name – the livelong June
To an admiring Bog!
Grasshoppers! It also brings a lightness of heart, along with a smile at God’s playfulness in conveying a message to my spirit. Lectio Divina becomes a delightful part of each day as the Lord speaks through His Word, always with the prospect of drawing me closer to Him as He reminds me that He sees me, He knows me, He loves me and He’s guiding me to holiness. Thank you Lord, for grasshoppers!
Spiritual Sun Pennies 