If We Watch

 

As I walked past this house, I noticed the small American flags on each side of the walk. Only after I had made my way past did it register that the house was also guarded by two sentinels, one on either side of the porch steps. And interesting sentinels they were.

On the one side stands Saint Francis. One of my favorite Saints, he guards my front porch as well. Friend of creation and lover of the natural environment, he is remembered, in part, by the annual church services held to bless the animals. In my community of faith, the Blessing of the Pets is a part of our Spring tradition.

On the other side sits a very large frog. I love the randomness of this choice, though it fits well with Saint Francis. There he sits, stoic and watchful, seeing all from his unique “frog’s eye view”. I am reminded of my favorite book from childhood, “The Wind in the Willows”. (Though I am aware that there is a difference between toads and frogs, they do resemble one another.)

Here they stand and sit, taking in the world as it passes by. In the Book of Daniel, we read of those creatures who watch. “I saw in the visions of my head as I lay in bed, and behold, a watcher, a holy one, came down from heaven.” A great hymn of the Church , “Ye Watchers and Ye Holy Ones”, picks up this imagery. We sing these words:

“Ye watchers and ye holy ones,

Bright seraphs cherubim, and thrones

Raise the glad strain, Alleluia!

Cry out, dominions, princedoms, powers,

Virtues, archangels, angels’ choirs: Alleluia!”

If we watch, if we take in what God is doing in the world, we can rejoice in all manner of times and situations. God is still creating. God is still at work in other people. God is still at work in us. If we have eyes to see as we go about life in the world, we will join the watchers and the holy ones in praise.

Peace.