The Tiny, Little Hummingbird
Who has never had these feelings?
I can’t do this,
I have reached my limit,
I feel weak, helpless!
How can I handle this?
For Father Kentenich, precisely this experience is a presupposition for discovering God, for growing into a deeper relationship with God.
Father Kentenich once told this story:
“A tiny, little hummingbird always longed to soar up to the sun. It made trial flights, but its little wings would tire very soon and it could never continue. Sadly, the little bird hid itself in a forest. Then—suddenly an eagle landed very near to the hummingbird…
The eagle began to lift his wings. The thought suddenly arose in the little hummingbird:
Fly into the wings of the eagle! Thought. Said. Done! And then, sheltered within the powerfully flapping wings of the eagle, the little hummingbird ascended higher and higher toward the sun.
The eagle tired, but the little hummingbird was rested. While the eagle was swooping downward, the hummingbird suddenly lifted off higher toward the sun.
Who is the hummingbird? That is us…
And who is the eagle? The Blessed Mother,
So, in and with the Blessed Mother we can be lifted deeply into the Eternal Son, Jesus Christ and the Blessed Trinity.”
(J.K. on Sept.7, 1967 in Memhölz, Germany)
So what should I do when I experience that
I can’t handle this, I am afraid, I am inadequate…?
