Amado Antonio Caballero Ⅲ
Summer vacation is over, and children are already back to school. They have to get up early, prepare for school, meet their friends and teachers again, submit their assignments and read their text books.
When asked how did they spend their summer vacation, or how would they describe
their summer vacation this year, they had wonderful stories to tell.
Some answered that, together with their playmates, they went out to hunt for cicadas hiding in the trees, enjoying their time looking for cicadas and other beetles.
What other children remembered most was the time when their families went out for summer camp---pitching their tents near the sea and having barbecue in the evening. For them, summer would not be complete without enjoying the sand, sea and sun. Summer is truly the best time to go for a swim and relax by the water.
Still, there are those who went to a farm to pick blueberries, feed cows, ride horses, climb a mountain, or experience forest bathing. In other words, they spent hours watching the beauty of creation, rubbing their stress off under huge trees or just simply being one with nature.
In all of these, the little children got in touched with creation that reflects the beauty and splendor of the Creator, our God.
This beautifully echoes the teaching of St. Paul, our patron. In his letter to the Romans, he reminds us that “ever since the creation of the world, God’s invisible attribute—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made” (Romans 1:20) When our youth spend time outdoors, they are not just playing: they are actively witnessing the visible testimony of an invisible God.
There is an English song:
What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong
I see trees of green, red roses too
I see them bloom for me and for you
I see skies of blue and clouds of white
The bright blessed days, dark sacred nights
The colors of the rainbow, so pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces of people going by
I see friends shaking hands, saying, "How do you do?"
They're really sayin', "I love you"
I hear babies cry, I watch them grow
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world
Summer invites us not only to rest and heal, but also to see the grandeur of God in His creation.
Follow me!
