Trial and Error (06/13/2024)

My grandson, Vincent, is getting married in the near future. Massive preparations are afoot and among them are the wardrobes for the family members. We realized this past week that my husband who has been retired for 14 years doesn’t have a suit or slacks and blazer that fit. And so yesterday, he and I set out to find his outfit for the big day. Store personnel is at a minimum, in case you haven’t noticed. And so, it was up to us to figure out the right size. We started with the one we thought would work, then we went up or down in size until we got it right.

There are many situations in life where we must figure things out through trial and error; the answer isn’t immediately apparent to us. While we can do it alone, it is helpful to have another along with a set of discerning eyes and lips that don’t lie. I don’t know if you’ve realized it or not, but we can’t always see clearly when we are the ones in the picture. We can be somewhat biased when it comes to ourselves. When my husband needed to go look for clothes, he knew exactly whom he trusted to go along for the process and to give him an honest opinion. I was the lucky one.

Our spiritual journey involves decisions, as well. We begin, of course, with prayerful discernment. We have the law and the prophets to inform us. We have Christ, his words and his example as guides. While that should be enough, sometimes it is also helpful to have another to talk to and to tell us what they really see because sometimes when it involves us directly, we can be biased and make erroneous rationalizations for why a particular choice or outcome is best.

One of the beautiful aspects of Christianity that I so appreciate is the understanding of companions for the journey. Jesus sent the disciples out in twos. The apostles rarely went alone. Whom do we rely upon as spiritual companions along the way? Whom are we being called to companion along the way?

Until tomorrow, let us all love well.