The Roman Catholic spiritual writer...
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The Roman Catholic spiritual writer, Anthony de Mello, tells a story of an eagle's egg that a farmer places by mistake in the nest of a brooding hen in the barnyard. The eaglet hatches, along with the chicks -- and as he grows, he grows to be like them. He clucks and cackles. He scratches the earth for worms. When he flaps his wings, he manages to fly a few feet into the air, no more.
Years go by. One day, the eagle -- now grown old -- sees a magnificent bird soar above him in the sky. It glides in graceful majesty against the powerful wind, with scarcely a movement of its golden wings.
Spellbound, the eagle asks, "Who's that?"
"That's the king of the birds, the eagle," says his neighbor. "He belongs to the sky. We belong to earth -- we're chickens."
And so, the story goes, the eagle lived and died a chicken; for that's what he thought he was.
"There is still a vision for the appointed time," writes Habakkuk. Such is the thing that can happen, when we fail to honor God's vision for us and all creation.
Years go by. One day, the eagle -- now grown old -- sees a magnificent bird soar above him in the sky. It glides in graceful majesty against the powerful wind, with scarcely a movement of its golden wings.
Spellbound, the eagle asks, "Who's that?"
"That's the king of the birds, the eagle," says his neighbor. "He belongs to the sky. We belong to earth -- we're chickens."
And so, the story goes, the eagle lived and died a chicken; for that's what he thought he was.
"There is still a vision for the appointed time," writes Habakkuk. Such is the thing that can happen, when we fail to honor God's vision for us and all creation.
