As I was running in my neighborhood, I passed a beautiful yellow butterfly that was flapping around on the street, apparently with some difficulty. After I passed, I halted and turned around. A car had to kind of veer out of my way-- the driver was probably wondering what crazy thing I was doing.
I bent down, as my instinct was to move the struggling butterfly to the grass. Why is it flapping around so? Two possibilities crossed my mind -- 1) one of its wings has been injured, or the poor guy was born deformed. 2) it had some rare disease that it could spread to me!
Despite my obvious hesitation resulting from the second possibility, I picked the butterfly up by his wing and placed him in the nearby grass. I'm sure he will still easily fall prey to its predators, but nonetheless it won't get flattened by a car there on the grass.
This entire scenario raised a beautiful image for me that took hold in my heart as I ran home, so much so that it brought a tear to my eye. On the feast of Corpus Cristi, we are reminded of the body of Christ. What is the body of Christ? Jesus's body is everything, including anything that I interact with, Jesus's body is the things I see, the things I hear, and is my heart alive in front of everything. The butterfly's frail, broken, gasping, tender body is a sign, even if the very smallest, of the body of Christ on Earth. And only because my eyes were open to see Him did I perceive this little flapping thing as such.
Further, I understood a real dialogue with the One who created me. Just as he has mercy on me, and loves me despite my own brokenness, frailty, and mistakes, He takes me and puts me into safety. He physically grabs me (sometimes, through people!), or presents something real in my life (students, friends, family, butterflies) to witness to me that he is the lord and my difficulties (those conditions we are born with, or those circumstances that surround us over time) was given to me to remind me of Him. Especially in light of recent mistakes last week, I understand, if in a small way, that I am more than ever wanted, taken hold of, possessed by him, our Good Shepherd, who doesn't leave behind even the weak and troubled. He exalts those ones! He plucks us gently from the road and places us with care onto the grass (being God, he also could have healed the butterfly, but I am human :D).
It's not an insignificant fact that this little incident happened around 11:30 am EST, during the universal hour of Eucharistic adoration. Christ is telling me, "Okay, if you don't come to meet me, I'll come to you."
That's how the body of Christ works in my life-- and that's Christianity.
