During my last summer assignment, I found myself alone and with nothing to do on my day off.
Normally, I would’ve just lounged around the house on a day like this. But on that beautiful
summer afternoon, I decided to do something different. After I left the rectory, I drove to a
nearby park. This park had a massive hill with a large, flat plane. I’m telling you, this hill was
straight out of The Sound of Music. The view on top extended for miles, the wind was blowing,
the trees were rustling, and the sun was shining. Then I was suddenly struck with a funny idea:
“Today would be a great day to fly a kite.”
When I was a kid, my family and I flew a kite once, maybe even twice, but it wasn’t something I
did all that much. Never before had I been inspired to do something so childlike, so spontaneous,
and yet, something that I hadn’t done often growing up. But there I found myself: looking for a
place to buy a kite, driving to Target, locating the “least childish” kite I could find, and heading
to the checkout to purchase my prize. I grew more giddy at every moment.
When I got back to the hill, it took me a while to assemble the kite – and then came the moment
of truth. I took a firm grip on the kite, I let it out into the wind just a bit, and as it was starting to
float on its own…it darted into the ground. Undaunted, I tried it again, this time finessing it a bit.
I let it out 30 feet, 60 feet, 100 feet. Before I knew it, it was soaring above me as high as a
building! I watched with awe and glee as it darted left and right, and spiraled all over the place.
Then the higher, faster winds took it – 150 feet, then 200, then 300. It was so far now that the
only indication that the kite was still up there was the thin line of string extending infinitely into
the big, blue, beautiful, summer sky. It was so serene. It was in that peacful moment that I came
to an important realization – I knew that the Lord delighted in this as much as I did!
Spontaneity makes up a necessary part of the life of a Christian, and indeed, the life of a
seminarian. St. Peter’s spontaneity , along with Jesus’ invitation, is what inspired him to step out
of the boat and walk to Jesus on the water. This gave Peter and the other disciples the faith they
needed to proclaim that Jesus truly is the Son of God, which Peter confirmed later before Jesus
named him “Rock.” It is Satan who wants us to live a life of mindless drudgery, not God. God
inspires us to use the free will that He gave us to step out of what we’re familiar with, what’s
comprehensible. This makes us free for Him to take us to heights we never could have dreamed
of on our own. So next time you feel your life dragging on the ground, know that God is right
there, ready for liftoff!
David Stein is a Seminarian at Pope St. John Paul II College Seminarian. David’s sponsoring parish is the Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (The Baltimore Basilica). Please pray for David!