By Father David Baumgartner

Frazee Sacred Heart Catholic Church

There was a white dot on the cuff of my black shirt. Is it paint? Is it paper dust from the ream I just put into the printer drawer? I blew on it and it did not move. I scraped it with my nail and it did not move. So I stared at it like a scientist preparing to delve into the mysteries of the universe.

What if my black shirt is the world and the white dot is Jesus Christ? Then I am glad that my efforts to remove it were unsuccessful. Then, with full faith, I want to stand out in the world like that. Then, with our eyes fixed on Jesus, we can turn my black shirt white.

What if the black shirt is my soul, and the white dot is the grace of baptism waiting to be actualized? Then I had better dive into the pool of living water, repent and be washed clean. What if the white dot is me in the midst of people desperate for help? Then I had better get out of this chair and help them. Finding food and shelter is easy compared to the long journey of healing from trauma or depression or a heart broken so completely that trust is not possible.

What if the white dot is a sign that the cuff is about to fray? Then I had better get a new shirt and relegate this one to painting.