By Father Timothy Gollob
Special to The Texas Catholic
It seemed that I was in paradise.
As Bill and I bounced across the Ellis County ranch in a four-wheel Gator, the wonderful vista of millions of bluebonnets was spread across the landscape with an azure lake in the middle of a valley. The fragrance of the flowers surrounded us.
It was a scene which was worthy of a trip to the country so that one could ride the back roads and make mental or cell phone images of the grandeur of God’s great artistic power. I mentioned these thoughts to my host and he remarked that in his mind the bluebonnets were “weeds” that took up space from the grasses that the cattle would like to feed upon.
I came back with the argument that they were beautiful flowers. Just looking at them with wonder and praise was a prayer to the Creator. Finally, he came around to concede that they were weeds with nice flowers.
This incident got me to thinking that we humans are true children of Adam and Eve. They were given the task in the Garden of Eden to name the animals and the plants of that place. There is a certain power in the naming of things. There is also great gain in the sports world to be able to name a stadium with a commercial appellation.
One human can look at another and proclaim that person to be “a rotten nogoodnik.” Another can look at the same person and declare him or her to be a beautiful cherub. Others can be asked for their opinion of that same person and say,”Whatever!”
This type of naming takes place every day in the news. Some declare this food to be healthy and others claim the same food to be destructive. Some say that a certain action is meritorious, others say it is evil. Some say that guns kill, others have the attitude that people kill.
We children of Adam and Eve are an interesting bunch!
Father Timothy Gollob is the pastor of Holy Cross Catholic Church in Oak Cliff.
