What we see depends mainly on what we look for. If we look for beauty, we’ll see it even in a window pane. Just as if we seek comfort and consolation, we can sense it even in the simplest digital snapshot from a friend.
During my pilgrimage last Tuesday, I brought my digital camera with me (well, actually I always carry it with me wherever I go). And as I walked around the Franciscan Sanctuary in Greccio and in Fonte Colombo, I noticed the windows to be filled with so much joy, as if they were waiting for me, and had put on their finest clothes for the occasion. I wanted to photograph them, all of them. And I did.
I was never fond of windows before. What I was looking for was something that would express my prayer for a friend who was diagnosed to have brain tumor. And it seemed that the windows spoke to me. It was only when I got home and reviewed my photos on my laptop that I realized I took 25 snapshots of them. You can view the photos by clicking here.
Yesterday, I told my friend about the windows and this morning I received an email from her, saying:
As for your windows, it goes well with what I’ve felt the past few days. I felt boxed in, unable to breathe and generally in the dark. When I let God lead the way, a light shone in just like what windows do to houses. How appropriate! They’re really nice.
She said that she’s been denying her fear that the tumor might be one which would require an operation and put her in grave danger – death or disability. She’s been putting up a brave front, even joking about it the past two weeks. But in private, she’s been having disturbed sleep, loss of appetite and generally, a low mood. Even if her doctor said the tumor responds very well to medications and a surgery is not needed, still she feels that her life hangs by a thread. One time, she looked at her little girl sleeping soundly beside her and held her hand afraid that she might not see her grow up. Yet she hasn’t cried until yesterday, not until she saw my snapshots and read about my pilgrimage prayer for her. I was very glad when she told me that she has now lifted her fear to God and put her entire fate to Him.
It is so curious, amazing even – she can put up a brave front and resist tears, even in the darkest hours of uncertainty and pain. And then she knows that someone is sincerely praying for her and she sees simple photographs of windows… and everything collapses. Of course it was not the photos per se that made her sentimental and brought her to her knees before God, but the realization that like a window, she must completely open herself up to God to be inundated by His love and grace.
Opening all the windows of your being is the most important thing if you want to allow God to heal you. Opening all the windows of your being tells God that there is a welcoming person inside, a person in need of His abundant grace and joyful presence. Opening all the windows of your being to God is to make Him feel at home in your heart. Without opening all the windows of your being, God would never be able to make His Spirit work in you, nor could you experience His love from within.
beh, che posso dire? ero sempre rimasta impressionata dai tuoi “creazioni meravigliose” è mi diverto tanto visitare il tuo sito è cliccare in continuazione ogni immagine che mi colpi’ . sei davvero un grande artista! le cose che facevi, fai, farresti … ti auguro tanto è un bocca a lupo! =) ti posso soltanto dire mille grazie per tutte le cose che mi hai insegnato, saranno sempre con me è non potrei mai dimenticare per tutta la mia vita! ci rivedremmo comunque…tanti baciiiii!!!
FR. STEPHEN,
How do you get so religious and at the same time creative with technology? I still haven’t tried photography, but I guess I need to learn now.
You window photo reminded me of the Johari Window that was usually lectured in gradeschool and highschool. But when I read your entry, I started to realize that the window has symbolical meaning to my life now.
Well, I was blogging for probably half a month with my Teacher Sol blog when I came across your blog thru hopping. I told you, para akong nangumpisal sa simbahan when I stayed in your blog for awhile. I thought my blogging would be so detached with my religious life, which has started to diminish (because the parish where we go to is so traditional, or maybe we’re looking for a church where there’s sense of belongingness). My windows are closing, the light coming in is becoming so dim…until I found your blog.
You were very accomodating, even exchanged emails with me when I don’t even personally know you, even sent me thru mail a post card and medallion from my patroness, Our Lady of Lourdes. I began to get excited again, but left the window of my soul ajar…
My 2 teacher friends (I don’t personally know, just blogger friends) came in Maryland a month ago and I gave them some of my winter clothes, because it’s getting really cold here. They said “hulog ako ng langit”, tamang-tama na Ms. Angala ako kasi angel daw ako talaga. Compliment taken, but I really felt good because I was able to help.
And because of that small act of kindness, the Philippines Embassy is supporting a Winter Drive for the 80 Filipino Teachers who just came in Maryland…through the Pinoy Teachers Network. It’s like a whirlwind! FilAm communities are calling and emailing left and right asking for collaboration with the Pinoy Teachers Network for some projects to give back to our mother country. The organization which took us under its name (because we are still in the infancy stage, with no funds yet) is the Catholic Ministry of Northern Virginia. And I thought that blogging is really detached from my religious life…I was wrong.
Now I am opening my windows, wider than before. I need the light to shine for me to grow in mind, body and spirit.
Thanks for the “windows.” Maybe like your friend, I also need to open more the windows of my whole being to our God, in order for me to experience more deeply His overflowing love for me. I need to open more my windows in order to allow Jesus to enter more deeply into my life so that i could encounter Him in a more intimate way & be able to love w/ His love. But it seems that I don’t really know how to open those windows. Sounds funny. As a consecrated person, I expected myself to be growing more in my prayerlife. But it seems also that I do not anymore know how to really pray. 3 weeks ago I just had my annual retreat & this is precisely my discovery. I feel it’s being so self-centered to always ask God to make me feel how deep is His love for me. I thought, I should be praying for more important cause, for others & not for myself. But I also feel, I really need to go back to the basic of my relationship w/ Him if I wanted to move forward. I never really seriously ask others to pray for me thinking, they have more people to pray for & more important needs of other people to tell God, I should be doing this for myself & should even pray more for others than for myself. But, sorry to be selfish at this time, but I really feel the need of others to pray to God for me, too. Could you please say a little prayer for me at times?
Ps. Maybe I need to open more my windows in order to see how God is revealing Himself to me, for i still believe He does continue to reveal Himself & His love for me, maybe i just couldn’t recognize His ways. God have mercy on me.
“le finestre…” fino l’altro ieri, non ho mai pensato nè usato la finestra come una cosa simbolica per far vedere le piu chiare riflessioni della mia vita. spesso pensavo “la porta” come l’immagine più adeguato per far descrivire come sono io in realtà. purchè sono una persona riservata o sarrebe giusto dire chiusa, mà occassionalmente aperta…(è logico padre?haha) beh, ci sono è ci saranno molti immagini, cose è parole che può descrivere come siamo noi in questa vita. “Lei” mi h’appena dato un simbolo in cui potrei significare l’altre parte di me. tramite le cose riflessive, chiuse nè aperte, colorati nè in bianchi è neri…alla fine si rivelerà la pura verità di noi stessi. dobbiamo essere unpò più onesti cosi’ non c’è nulla che ci farà paura.
“la finestra…” la riflessione,lo specchio che rivela la pura verità… che IL DIO ci benedica!
sono lieta di esserti conosciuto, diventato un’amico è un bel esempio per l’umanità. non ti fermare, esplora il mondo è continua ad esporre una poggia d’amore! aaauuuggguurriii!!!!
Very touching story! It helps me realized my interior windows. I also appreciated your new discovery of the beauty of the windows of life and the necessity of openness for the light to enter. This is a very profound reflection for oneself. Thanks for this inspirtation! Keep up your best work. God bless!
Dear Father Stephen,
I’m new to your site and I’m so grateful that Jesus brought me here. I just want you to know that your latest entry has touched me. I couldn’t stop marveling at the different photographs of the windows. To me, each window symbolizes something. There is a feeling of nostalgia as I hopped from one photo to the other. Anyway, I hope you don’t mind if drop by your site frequently now. Just continue to write and inspire people. God bless!
Teacher Sol, Mona, Melanie, A Friend, and la_farfalla – Thank you so much for your inspiring comments.
Sometimes in our lives, we need to open ‘windows’ to let the sun shine in. We have to break free from the ‘darkness’ that we keep ourselves in: our pride, our anger, our conceit, our ambition, our greed. It’s cliche but all so true, God, indeed, speaks to us in ‘ strange’ ways, so that we’ll be able to hear him.
I have always thought that there is only one window to the soul – the eyes, as I have learned from literature early in high school but never realized our whole being has all kinds of windows to it. It’s a matter of decision which one to open and close depending on the situation and the time. From visiting your photography section, I’m in awe how you can keep your windows open at all times and any situation. It takes HOLINESS and SANCTITY to have such disposition in life. Seems like there is no more fear or threat where there is holiness.
This is one great thing learned today.