The Lightness of Our Soul 

   Have you ever watched a butterfly as it flits from flower to flower collecting nourishment?  Just the slightest breeze will lift the butterfly to great heights and carry it for far distances.  And yet, a drop or two of water on its’ wings will ground it, making it unable to fly until the wing has dried and is able to again be lifted by the gentlest of breezes.

   I think our soul is similar to the butterfly.  It is intended to soar on the winds of God, following His will.  In our journey we are to gather the nourishment from the flowers we are directed to by our Lord.  As a butterfly gains strength and nourishment from the various flowers on which it feeds, our soul is to be strengthened and nourished from scripture, prayers, our priests, pastors, and the sacraments.

   As the butterfly can be grounded by water on its’ wings, our soul can be weighed down by sin.  Each sin is like a tiny drop of water on the wings of our soul, limiting its’ ability to freely fly as God intended.  Our prayer life suffers when we are not able to rise above the earthly and commune with our Lord.  The message of scripture or the words of our pastors can become muted by the stain of sin.  Our soul is hindered in its’ flight to God and becomes malnourished.

   The butterfly will die if it cannot regain the ability to fly.  Similarly, our soul dies to God when weighed down by sin.  The butterfly may regain its’ ability to float on the winds by allowing its’ wings to dry.  Our soul can again soar on the heights of God’s will through confession of our sins and repentance in our life. 

Your will is the wind on which we soar.

Yet we cannot ride those winds in sin.

In Your love and mercy You forgive our sins.

You again allow our soul to fly to You. 

Amen