- Bubbles ~ Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God Matt 5:8
Meditating on the Scripture passage of the Beatitudes, I always think of Katie Culhane when I come to verse 8 – “Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God.” Katie is short for Katherine, which means pure or clean. And I know that little Katie now sees God, even as she saw Him while here on earth, in her simplicity and love as a Down Syndrome child.
The image that most often comes to my mind is that of her baptism, and the story her mom Muffy shared about how God’s grace became visible as Katie began to coo and gurgle for the first time as the holy water was poured over her head. This brought a sense of peace and assurance of God’s love and faithfulness, and became a springboard to the fortitude and courage the family needed to best love and parent a child with special needs. It was the image of little baby noises bubbling forth from Katie that most struck me in my meditation this day, as it tied in with a recent experience of making bubbles!
We were all at the cabin for family time, and I had brought some bubble wands to play with by the lake. They proved to be incredibly effective, and soon large and beautiful bubbles were bouncing and cavorting on the still water, and soaring high into the air, even above the tall pine trees! The delight and joy this brought to my heart made me almost giddy, and the family thought Aunt Ann was a little crazy as I exclaimed about the amazing bubbles and spent a good deal of the week on the dock blowing more bubbles and just watching them dance on the water and rise up into the air.
With this in mind, I pictured the water being poured over Katie’s head in baptism, and the little baby sounds rising up in the sanctuary of the church, just like the bubbles at the lake. It filled me again with joy and consolation, as the stirring of the Holy Spirit must have done in Elizabeth’s womb as John the Baptist leapt for joy at meeting Jesus in Mary’s womb. How the Holy Spirit does indeed enkindle joy in us, in the Sacraments and in one another, as we recognize God’s presence in the other.
The bubbles at the lake had prompted me to google the Bible for bubble verses, and several had popped up, one of which seemed perfect for the joy I was experiencing. Romans 15:13 reads, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound and be bubbling over with hope.” Such a simple thing, but a reflection of God’s grace again at work to bring us joy and delight. The Scriptures assure us that God delights in us, even as we delight in the wonders of His creation. I believe He must be pleased with our simple joy and gratitude as we acknowledge Him as the Giver of all good gifts, even of bubbles
Thank You Lord, for the gift of Creation and for the simple joys of playing in it! May we be always grateful for the many ways You make manifest Your love for us, and grace us with purity of heart to rejoice at seeing You in the midst of everything, filling us with joy and hope…
Spiritual Sun Pennies 