The Lord is close to the brokenhearted. — Psalm 34:19

Mass Readings: Wisdom 2:1a,12-22/John 7:1-2,10,25-30 

Divine Brushstrokes 

Few artists have met with less success in their lifetime than the French impressionist painter Paul Cezanne. His work was continually rejected, and his style was regarded as bizarre. It was only after Cezanne’s death that his paintings came to the forefront, and he became known as the “Father of Modern Art.” 

The Jews in today’s Gospel had something in common with Cezanne’s contemporaries — preconceived expectations. Just as Cezanne didn’t follow the rules of “traditional art,” God wasn’t going to be confined to the Jewish ideal of the Messiah. When we try to limit beauty or art or God against what we “think” we know, we’re sure to find disappointment. But when we allow God to lift us outside our expectations, we can experience the true Master’s grace. 

Prayer: Great Master, color my perspective with shades of heaven.