Saint Peter Catholic Church

“The mystery of Christ casts conclusive light on the mystery of creation.” (CCC 280)

Have you ever stopped and observed a squirrel? They are curious creatures. The way that they move; the ability that they have to stop and switch directions at a moment’s notice; the odd way that they stare at you out of the corner of their eyes: squirrels can be an endless source of fascination.  As you probably can tell, squirrels intrigue me.

My interest in these bushy-tailed rodents traces back to an undated moment in my youth when an odd question occurred to me: what is the purpose of a squirrel? I have no clue as to why my younger self was so captivated by such a question. But, from that point, I was intent on figuring out why God created such odd beasts.

Throughout my life, I have discerned practical answers to the question. For example, God created squirrels to plant trees. After all, squirrels bury nuts every fall; and I doubt that every nut gets reclaimed in the spring. Inevitably,  some of those nuts grow into trees. That seemed like a reasonable explanation; it is one explanation among many.

But, those explanations do not really answer my question:  why do squirrels exist? I am still searching for that answer.  But, our Catechism passage today reminds me where I should start my investigations: “Christ casts conclusive light on the mystery of creation.” In other words, to figure out the mystery of squirrels, I need to start with Jesus.  Jesus can open up for us the mysteries of creation. For “all things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be” (Jn 1:3). So, if we struggle to understand why things are the way they are, or are just curious about the world around us, then we should direct our question to the One who knows what it all means…even the nature of
squirrels.

P.S. As you probably all know by now, Fr. Canova is being transferred by Bishop Malloy to St. Rita’s Parish in Rockford. He begins his new assignment on August 1st, but you will still see him around the parish until then. We are grateful for the year of service that he gave to St. Peter’s and wish him well in his new assignment.

Father Thomas Doyle

St. Peter parish app is available for free for parishioners to download on both Apple iPhones and Android phones.  To download search for myParish at the appstore or text APP to 88202.