Mother and Child

Yesterday we went to a campsite which is curiously called "Il treno dei bambini" (Children's train). There is an unusual statue of the Mary with the Child Jesus. Below the statue is a brief description in Italian that can be roughly translated this way: under a pile of snow, the like of which has never been seen, the barn collapsed ... among the wreckage ... the Baby Jesus remained intact embraced by the protective hands of His mother, Mary. Jesus Christ is the baby... He always triumphs. His mother's (Mary's) hands always protects. They made a sort of an altar with the remains of the barn. What an impressive image, what a comforting message.
On this day of her Assumption into heaven, Mary reminds us that we are made for greater things. Our hearts are too noble to be satisfied with the passing things of this life. We don't need to despise the things of this world, after all they are gifts from God. Nay, we delight in them but it is useless to attach ourselves to them. It is a folly to build our lives on them.
We don't need a lot of things. We have what we need to be happy. What makes us unhappy is not the lack of things but the lack of attention and appreciation to that which we already have. It is the desire for more, to surpass what others have, that makes us insecure.
And as that inscription on the altar reminds me: Jesus is the One that endures forever. When our hearts are anchored on Jesus, we are already having a taste of heaven.