Let’s all use our imagination:
Imagine that we each are jigsaw puzzle pieces that belong to an enormous puzzle. Let’s say the puzzle is the size of our galaxy and that every human being who was ever conceived is a piece of that puzzle. That includes all miscarried or aborted, and still-born babies. Like traditional jigsaw pieces, we all have interlocking appendages that connect to the other pieces in the puzzle.
The basic strategy for putting jigsaw puzzles together is to dump out all the pieces on a big table, turn them all face up, separate ones with straight edges, find the four corners, and group the pieces by color and pattern. The four corner pieces are the four pillars of his Catholic Church. God put those pieces in place to maintain the stability of the frame. Let’s say that the pieces with the straight edges are the saints; they teach us boundaries and help keep the rest of the pieces contained.
Most of us bumble around for much of our life trying to find our place in the puzzle. We ignore our color and pattern and get mixed up with some incompatible pieces that don’t ever really fit, no matter how much we think we want them to. Sometimes we end up alienating ourselves from the pieces with which we belong, when a simple quarter turn might allow us to finally connect perfectly.
Then there are the pieces that don’t want to be part of God’s puzzle at all. There is a space awaiting them that only they can fill, where they would feel protected and whole; but they reject the divine plan and try to join or create other puzzles. Their absence leaves gaps; neighboring pieces cannot fully connect, and their own fraudulent displays can never match the beauty of God’s master.
It isn’t as puzzling as we often make it seem. St. Paul tells us that, “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” We are free to choose: free to link into God’s divine scene embraced by the pillars and saints or spend our lives trying to force ourselves into spaces that will never fit.
Scripture: Read 2 Corinthians 3:17. What stands out to you?
Call to Action: Have you found your place in God’s puzzle? Are you helping others connect too?
