He (Louie) was talking about how inconceivably BIG our God is… How He spoke the universe into being… How He breathes stars out of His mouth that are huge raging balls of fire..  Etc. Etc. Then He went on to speak of how this star-breathing, universe creating God ALSO knitted our human bodies together with amazing detail and wonder. At this point I am LOVING it (fascinating from a medical standpoint, you know.)  And I was remembering how I was constantly amazed during medical school as I learned more and more about God’s handiwork. I remember so many times thinking..’How can ANYONE deny that a Creator did all of this???’
Louie went on to talk about how we can trust that the God who created all this, also has the power to hold it all together when things seem to be falling apart…how our loving Creator is also our sustainer.

And then I lost my breath. And it wasn’t because I was running my treadmill, either!!!

It was because he started talking about laminin.. I knew about laminin.. Here is how Wikipedia

describes them: ‘Laminins are a family of proteins that are an integral part of the structural scaffolding of basement membranes in almost every animal tissue’ You see…. Laminins are what hold us together… LITERALLY. They are cell adhesion molecules. They are what holds one cell of our bodies to the next cell. Without them, we would literally fall apart. And I knew all this already. But what I didn’t know is what they LOOKED LIKE..

But now I do.  And I have thought about it a thousand times since (already)….Here is what the structure of laminin looks like… AND THIS IS NOT a ‘Christian portrayal’ of it…. If you look up laminin in any scientific/medical piece of literature, this is what you will see….

Now tell me that our God is not the coolest!!!  Amazing.  The glue that holds us together…. ALL of us….. Is in the shape of the cross.  Immediately Colossians 1:15-17 comes to mind.

‘He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  For by him all things were created; things in heaven and on earth, visible And invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or Authorities;    All things were created by him and for him.  He is before all things, and in him All things HOLD TOGETHER.’                                         Colossians 1:15-17

Call me crazy. I just think that is very, very, very cool. Thousands of years before the world knew anything about laminin, Paul penned those words. And now we see that from a very LITERAL standpoint, we are held together… One cell to another…. By the cross.

You would never in a quadrillion years convince me that is anything other than the mark of a Creator who knew EXACTLY what laminin ‘glue’ would look like long before Adam breathed his first breath!!

Try to Google it… Sit back, close your eyes and think about it… AWESOME!!!

Here’s a prayer…

‘Lord, I love you and I need you, come  into my heart, and bless me, my family, my home, and my friends, in Jesus’ name.   Amen.

“O God, had we beheld the beauty, the majesty of the countenance of that divine Child, could we have ever had courage to sacrifice His life for our salvation?” St. Alphonsus di Liguori

“Christ himself says, ‘I am the light of the world.’ And we are the light, we ourselves, if we receive it from him…. But how do we receive it, how do we make it shine? …[T]he candle tells us: by burning, and being consumed in the burning. A spark of fire, a ray of love, an inevitable immolation are celebrated over that pure, straight candle, as, pouring forth its gift of light, it exhausts itself in silent sacrifice” (Paul VI

When I pass the crucifix, I will ask myself, would I have the courage of the Blessed Virgin Mary? Would I offer the beautiful baby knowing…

“But he was wounded for our iniquities, he was bruised for our sins: the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and by his bruises we are healed.” Isaiah 53:5

The candle light is an act of faith and charity—the light is a symbol of the sacrifice you have made in behalf of someone else—and it is a silent reminder of your prayers for them.

What a Burning Candle Means

A burning candle is a symbol of selfless generosity. It stands so unwavering in its place, so erect, so clear and disinterested, in perfect readiness to be of service. It stands in its appointed place, self-consumed in light and warmth. Yes, of course the candle is unconscious of what it does. It has no soul. But we can give it a soul by making it an expression of our own attitude.
Stir up in yourself the same generous readiness to be used. “Lord, here am I.” Let the clean, spare, serviceable candle bespeak your own attitude. Let your readiness grow into steadfast loyalty. Even as this candle, O Lord, would I stand in your presence. Do not weaken in or try to evade your vocation. Persevere. Do not keep asking why and to what purpose. To be consumed in truth and love, in light and warmth, for God is the profoundest purpose of human life.
Romano Guardini

Have a Blessed n’ Prosperous New Year!!!