The Heart of Life

For so long I believed that we create our own lives, that we are the ‘masters of our fate and the captains of our soul.’ [1] As Bishop Robert Barron says, we see ourselves as the writer, the producer, the director, the costume designer, and of course the main character (the star) of the movie that is our life. I always believed this amounted to true self determination and ultimate freedom: of purpose, destiny, and meaning. My life. My creation. I create the kingdom of myself.

Pride, the first assault, puts us at tremendous disadvantage, which our eternal enemy knows well and takes his advantage, because he understands pride perfectly and what it leads to. And he lays his traps, he waits, and swallows us whole. “You will be like gods,” he promised, with a forked tongue.

We embrace our idols, whatever they may be, and are defined by what we worship. Meanwhile time is a rushing wind and we are like the grass, as the Psalms say. We wither, and are born away.

Another metaphor for life: It is as though we are trying to build an airplane while also flying it. But even with our latest tools and technologies, we can never finally comprehend our coordinates; arrogantly, we trust in our own temporal abilities to confront eternity. We lose our strength and are lost.

Jesus said: “Come to me, all that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and you shall find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30) We are meant to go to him, to let him lead us, to let him be the source and the polestar of our life. Everything changes then, all is bathed in new light and becomes clear.

This postcard is made with mixed papers, paint, ink, vintage design elements.

References:
[1] Invictus, by William Ernest Henley.
Quote inside artwork: Father Jacques Philippe.