April 15, 2002
A Yearning Deep Within
“Yearning is the force
field of desire that draws us to God. It grows out of our sense of
incompleteness and our deep need for something more which we know can only be
met by The More. It is characterized by a restlessness in our souls. We
desperately want to move beyond the petty wants of the ego and break out of the
self-constructed prisons that confine us.”
Spirituality & Health Magazine: Website
quote
St. Rita is the Catholic patron
saint of impossible dreams. I know
that now after viewing a movie over the weekend, The Rookie.
It is a story of yearning for something deep in our souls.
The movie will not be nominated for an Academy Award, but it was very
well done and harkened me back to older black and white films about real people
that I loved to watch while growing up.
The story is based on the true
events of Jim Morris (played by Dennis Quaid) and his accomplishments in 1999 to
become the oldest rookie at 35 in major league baseball in forty years.
There is a sense of destiny that lingers in the movie while the
responsibilities of everyday life and the nature of the human body prove
formidable obstacles in realizing that destiny.
But legend has it that St. Rita had intervened once before in the west
Texas town of Big Lake, so perhaps St. Rita could aid in the destiny of a high
school chemistry teacher.
One of the most thought
provoking lines in the film came from Morris’ dad who said (now paraphrasing)
“You can spend time doing what you want to do but then you have to do what you
were meant to do.” In the context
of the film it appears he is saying it is time to give up on the dream and be
responsible. Even as Morris’ wife
initially seems to agree with this philosophy, it becomes evident that the
statement could mean that following a yearning is what is meant to be.
This is one of the first movies
I have seen in years that is rated “G” and not animated.
What a novelty it is to have a first rate cast in a film that could gain
such a rating. It shows that real
life can be depicted without all the foul language, nudity, and violence that
seem so prevalent in most of what we watch.
Maybe the yearning we all have
is not as defined as it was in the case of Jim Morris. Regardless, if we listen attentively, we might be able to
hear in what direction our yearnings are guiding us.
With respect, acceptance, and love,
Richard
© Richard D. Olson and Awaken The Soul, 2002; Edited
by Janice E. Olson