Got Milkweed?

By Charla Misse

When I see a butterfly, I am reminded of the miraculous transformations allowed by our supremely powerful and omniscient God in the Luminous Mysteries of the Holy Rosary. I think of all the opportunities we have for change in our lives and the great mercy that our Lord extends to us.

I am humbled to consider the blessings I have received in my own personal transformations.  And, I think about the growth I am currently experiencing or hope to experience …  All with the sighting of a butterfly.  For me, it’s a tiny reminder that I need to keep alert so that I become the person God created me to be.

While I am no authority on butterflies, I recently read that Monarch caterpillars will devour various kinds of vegetation, like cantaloupe and squash. Such plants merely sustain the caterpillars’ lives, however. Only milkweed plants provide the nourishment needed to complete the caterpillar’s full life cycle; young pupae will never develop into butterflies without this critical food.

This made me think about what I am “eating,” and how it is affecting my growth. What am I choosing to see and hear? What am I allowing to influence my thoughts and actions? Many seemingly “nutritional” suggestions or simply innocuous thoughts are actually detrimental, because they encourage me to become complacent or distracted.

By the grace of God, yet again, I am reminded that to become what I was created to be, I need to feed myself with his word, with his holy inspirations. Only then will I have the chance to fly.

Don’t just eat to survive. Flourish! Feed yourself daily with holy scripture and Catholic media.