Innocence and “Puff the Magic Dragon”

There was a Steve Martin film in 1989 called "Parenthood" There's a scene in there about 3/4 of the way through the movie, where the family patriarch (Jason Robards) is pouring his heart out to his oldest son (Steve Martin), probably for the first time ever. His youngest son has gotten into trouble with the mob, trying to be a "success" so his dad will be proud of him, and Robards is coming to the realization that even though his son is an adult, he's still his son, and Robards has to help him.

After letting Martin know that Robards is proud of him, Robards starts to walk away, but Martin calls him back. Martin starts telling Robards how he's not a success, and all that is going wrong in his life, including possibly losing his job and how Martin's son needs psychological counselling. Robards walks back, gives Martin a fatherly caress on his cheek, smiles and says, "You worry too much!"

That's when my wife and I looked at each other and decided to start a family.

 

Tears in my eyes. Beautiful.

 

Prayers Brian.

 

What a lovely advice to your son. To walk through the storms hand in hand with God.

 

Last night I was thinking and praying and trying to sleep when my thoughts went back to when I was just 16 years old, on summer holiday and reading a huge big book on the life of St Gabriel Possenti, Patron of Youth saint of the Passionist Order who died when he was just 24 years old.

The Church has such a huge tradition of these child and young saints. The miracle is that people have the eyes to see them all as saints. We tend to assume that Wisdom and Grace and worth come with great age We tend too to think that innocence dies with age, when it doesn't always. Innocence is a thing we tend to undervalue, whereas it is next thing to heaven.

As I prayed I saw St Gabriel standing before me just as in life, with the long black Passionist habit, not all really like he was portrayed in old pictures. Old pictures cannot compare to real life. He looked like a walking prayer; it was clear to see he lived and breathed prayer. A wonderful innocence like that of a very young child and a clear purity like a mountain stream. If when he really was alive he looked anything at all like this I can see why people spotted him for being a saint.

How wonderful God is in His saints. But how particularly wonderful in His young saints. What a delight to look at, what a joy.

It reminds me of a young man, a novice from Scotland. He was around 20years old and had already a widespread reputation for being holy. I was a bad lot back then full of pride and hate and bitterness. I recall how jealous I was of him for his reputation. His reputation not his actual holiness. But he reminded me of St Gabriel as I saw him last night.

These young saints remind us of what doorways of holiness such innocence can lead too.

Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows - Wikipedia

 

You mean 'thinking and praying' Padraig. I hope.

 

I hope so too.

 

my parish priest has mentioned and preached about Carlo Acutis- a very contemporary young man- now a Blessed- and I hope soon canonized. A wonderful example to young (and old). Thanks be to my parish priest Ive come to know and learn more about him.


https://carloacutis-en.org/

 

I think when they suffer a lot it gives them great power from heaven.

Of course they all suffered a lot; but some more than others.

 

'I never believed it was possible to suffer so much!'

'Never,never,never!'

St Therese of Liseaux