Pillars of the Earth

Discovering the roots of our own personalities and purposes  

Luke 21:34-36  

          Jesus said to his disciples: “Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life, and that day catch you by surprise like a trap. For that day will assault everyone who lives on the face of the earth. Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man.”

          Traumatic events and experiences tend to leave an indelible and enduring mark on the rest of our lives. Even if we forget them, they don’t forget us: these mini-milestones shaping our thinking, our choices, our history and our destiny. Did you ever read the historical fiction book called Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett? It’s one of those books that’s hard to put down once you start reading. It’s about the building of a cathedral in a fictional town of Kingsbridge in the 12th century. The Catholic Church is not often shown in a positive light, but one character shines our impeccably, namely, Prior Philip, the stern but saintly abbot of the monastery, the real cornerstone of Kingsbridge.  I often fancy myself the Prior Philip of Fort Smith.

          We learn how Philip’s own past has shaped his present. When he was 6 years old, his father – simply called “Da” – came home from battle. The family lived in Wales. But their house was invaded by English soldiers who killed both of his parents. But before Philip met his own demise, he was saved by an Abbot named Peter, who took Philip and his brother to the monastery to be raised as monks. But the trauma of witnessing his parents’ brutal murder also awakened a monastic vocation in Philip. He never wavered about being a monk, and he was always very compassionate toward children in need. You see, “Pillars of the Earth” is not only about cathedral pillars, but also about the “pillars” of each person, the foundational experiences that profoundly impact our lives.

          I hope this doesn’t sound too irreverent, but I think we can also see some “pillars” in Jesus’ own particular past, and how they influenced him. Now, Jesus is fully God and fully man, so it’s never an “apples to apples comparison” with him. Nevertheless, can you recall a particularly pivotal point in the Jesus early life? Shortly after Jesus was born, King Herod ordered the murder of all baby boys two years old or younger. This caused the Holy Family to flee into Egypt, and they stayed there as refugees for four years, until Herod died. How did those four formative years shape the psyche and sensibilities of the little Savior? That topic would be profitable for your meditation. But my point is that experience did become one of the “pillars” of Jesus own human life. It may have awakened an awareness that everything in this world passes away and to prepare for the next world. Hence, in the gospel today, the 33 year-old Jesus says – not so surprisingly – to his disciples: “Be vigilant at all times and pray you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man.” In other words, just as Prior Philip’s personal pillars were the foundations of his future, so, too, Jesus’ own past shaped his future.

          My friends, today let me invite you to pry into your own past and to find your own pillars. Take time in silence and solitude to remember your childhood experiences – you may have forgotten them, but they have not forgotten you! Did your parents die or get divorced when you were young? How did you feel about that? How did you deal with that? I often reflect on the lasting impact of moving to the United States from India when I was just 7 years old. I am convinced that experience of losing all I knew – my friends, my school, my language, my home – planted the seeds of a priestly vocation: I wanted to hang on to Something (God) and to Someone (Jesus) I would never lose. In other words, traumatic experiences can also have beneficial effects: like for Prior Philip, and for Jesus, and for me. They can be moments when God’s grace bursts into our life shining his light and love. Ask yourself today: What are the pillars of my own earth?

          Praised be Jesus Christ!