Seeing the Signs

by Jan Murphy

More than 30 years ago, in one of my earlier incarnations, I taught religion to junior high students. (My mother, a teacher herself, assured me that that alone would get me into heaven.) One lesson especially has remained with me all these years—the one on sacraments, the signs from God that grace us. The obvious focus of the class was on THE SEVEN Sacraments. I told the students they were the “Sacraments with a capital S.”

But the lesson went beyond the obvious. We also talked about the “small-s sacraments,” the people, events, places and things in our everyday lives that are signs of grace and blessing.

Such signs come in many forms. For children who come to Hope House after exposure to violence, the staff members are certainly sacraments, as are the six dedicated high school seniors to the many they have served.

Members of our families are signs of grace in many different ways, as shown by three unique mother-daughter relationships and the wonderful journey together of grandparents and granddaughters. A special coach. An author whose characters draw us to look beyond being sunk in “everydayness."

The signs are all around us. They are easy to see when we have occasions that call for celebration, such as Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, graduations and weddings. Then, the signs stand out like billboards. I often find myself forgetting one important part of that long-ago lesson, however—not all signs are billboards. Some are tiny, and sneak up on you. And it’s all too easy to miss them if you’re not paying attention!

Happy seeing!