Last Saturday when I was attending Mass the deacon incorporated into his homily an excerpt from Ralph Marston's "The Masterpiece" and I thought I should share it here. It really spoke to what I am going through now, as lately (and particularly through a phone conversation I had right before attending Mass the day I heard this homily) God has really "pulled the rug out from under me" so to say as far as my discernment goes. This was very pertinent for me to hear as what has been the struggle in my discernment has been trying to respond to this artistic calling I believe God has given me as well as trying to find if I have a vocation to consecrated life, and these two callings seem to be in tension with one another, hence why discernment is making me into a crazy person! I've done a bit of research and it seems that this version that that deacon used has been adapted from Marston's original, where he seems to communicate that we ourselves are responsible for creating the masterpiece of our life, without reference to God. I like the "tweaked" or appropriated rendition that the deacon used because it speaks to the truth that although we have free will, God is the ultimate artist and it is our role to cooperate as His plan unfolds for our lives.
Your life is a singularly unique work of art that comes to life more richly and more fully in your every moment.
The masterpiece of your life Is not the same as any other, and that is what gives it much of its beauty. It is a living, breathing, feeling work of art that is a distinctive and irreplaceable expression of wonder and joy.
As you feel the remarkable reality of yourself, always remember that you transcend every label that could ever be placed on you. Though there are many ways you have been, there are countless other ways that you will yet be.
You are not old or young, not wealthy or poor, not healthy or ill, for those are all merely outward states that you experience. In fact, you are life itself, and every experience adds to the value and richness of your life.
Just as the darker areas of a painting and the lighter areas play off each other, so too do the varieties of your experience all add to the masterpiece of your life. With each new day, the masterpiece becomes more magnificent.
In this moment, God continues his work of art through you, letting it flow from your authentic heart, giving your spirit cause to soar, and forever capturing the unique beauty of NOW within the masterpiece that is your life.
