Lightning Crashes
With a thundering and ominous boom, lightning struck fiercely into the redwood tree nearly splitting it in half. As the rain continued to pour, Mother Eagle knew she had but one chance to save her offspring before the tree would no longer stand. She knew they all had at least another 30 years of life left in them, and she was going to do everything in her power to make that become reality. Even with the tree’s promise to stand tall as long as possible, she was not confident that her family would survive this storm.
Mother Eagle knew she had to move her offspring to a safe place, so she flew them one by one to a small nearby cavern where she knew they’d be out of harm’s reach. Unfortunately, Mother Eagle was growing old and her talons were not as strong as they used to be, and this ordeal was a significant strain upon her already wavering body. She returned to the nest for her last little one, Antinanco, and as she was closing her talons upon him, another bolt of lightning struck the tree its final blow. The eagle’s nest also split in two from the vibration, Mother Eagle lost her grip, and little Anti plummeted towards the ground.
Without hesitation, Mother Eagle dove down, cutting through the air like a razor, in an attempt to save her littlest, yet oldest child. Fortunately, Mother Eagle gripped him in the nick of time and swooped him away to safety with his other siblings. For the next few years Mother Eagle taught her offspring how to hunt. It became a necessity now that her beak was crooked, her feathers old and tattered such that they couldn’t keep her in flight, and her talons weak and weary. She could no longer hunt.
Just as she had taken care of her children, now it was their turn to take care of her. In fact, some of them took care of her for another few decades because she was incapable of doing it herself. Some of Anti’s siblings left their new home to explore the world on their own, and Mother Eagle understood. She saved them on that night knowing that not all would stay. Some had to pave their own path, even if it meant they would die at a young age without their siblings or family to care for them when their own beaks would curve and feathers would wear. Still, it did not matter because when the soul calls from within an eagle, the eagle must respond.
Upon reaching the 40th year of her life, Mother Eagle knew it was finally time to give her life to the Great Spirit. Anti and his few remaining siblings carried Mother Eagle to the highest rock within hundreds of miles and they laid her there to rest. Upon this rock, she knew there would be no food and so she continued to stand proud until she was so weak that her talons could no longer hold her up.
Not long after her body collapsed onto the rock, wings hanging heavily over the sides like wet clothes set out to dry, she took her final breaths. And upon that last exhalation, she saw the green light of compassion emanating from the Great Spirit as it lifted her into the clouds above.
Meanwhile, back at home only Anti and one other remained — his brother Quidel. As the oldest, Anti’s responsibility was to protect all of his siblings just as Mother had done, and Anti had done so with joy and diligence. That is, until another storm came. Again, the lightning violently struck the tree that he and Quidel were perched upon. Anti knew his brother would be fine though because over the years he had taught him to be prepared for the worst. Anti leapt into the sky knowing Quidel would follow.
But Quidel didn’t. Anti looked back to see Quidel’s body split in half and burst into flames in just the same place and way the tree had been. It was a perfect hit, a bull’s eye as they say. Anti didn’t see this as perfect, but he had no choice except to turn his head and retreat towards safety. All the while, he mourned and wondered why these storms often wrought havoc among his family.
God Bless you
Fr Eugene Lobo SJ
