An Easter moment

as reported by Miss Westphal, the Kindergarten teacher at St. Thomas the Apostle School in Grand Rapids, Michigan:

"...Later in the day I was lucky enough to watch as a baby chick broke its egg down the middle. The tiny body unfurled in one flop and there before our eyes was a new creation!

I found myself pondering the way some of the chicks were careful and precise in their hatching, taking their time and resting in between strenuous bursts of energy. Others took only minutes to break their egg in half! One thing they all had in common was the hard work it took to get to the point of breaking free, pecking at the egg over 1000 times! Each chick was seemingly on its own to hatch, but as we watched, we witnessed the chicks in the incubator cheering- or cheeping- their companions on. Even the chicks in the brooder seemed to understand the need to let the egglings know that life outside the egg was much brighter than the life inside. Their encouragement chirps as they wandered from one side of the brooder to the other to watch the commotion were loud and strong.

What a testimony to Easter and our new life in Christ! Is this not like our own faith? To truly rise with Christ to new life we must become committed like a baby chick hatching from an egg, tireless in our pursuit of truth, love and service to each other. And in our Catholic faith we value our community of believers who encourage us along the way. We work together to help each other in the journey to new life testifying to the miracles we have witnessed in our own lives.

At the end of the day that same group of teachers was gathered around the incubator again watching for the next miracle to occur. And with our cheers of encouragement and chirps from the other chicks another little chick made its way from the darkness of the egg into the light of day!"