The Wild Boars
Have you ever had one of these moments when you were amazed by what you were seeing? I had this experience just recently as I looked at my phone late one night and saw 12 boys and one adult calmly seated in the depths of a cavern peering into a camera. It was so exciting, so unexpected and beyond belief. It took my breath away.
A few days before, I had been struck by the image of a Thailand soccer mom standing at the opening of the cavern shouting out over and over again, “Son, come out!” I was struck by the similarity to the biblical story of Jesus calling to Lazarus to come out of the tomb as Mary and Martha waited anxiously.
Adding to the power of this sight were the parents keeping vigil at the cavern. This patient waiting, along with the letter written by the parents to the coach assuring him that they were not angry with him and forgave him – and the fact that this same coach practiced meditation with the boys to keep them calm – painted a picture of the power of prayer, hope, community, family and resurrection.
The whole world was watching and waiting, it seemed, and breathed a collective sigh of relief when the last of the boys was rescued. This resurrection moment was the result of much sacrifice on the part of the rescuers and even the unfortunate death of one dedicated diver. As I write this the boys are out of the hospital and all but one (a Christian) were initiated into a Buddhist monastery as novices to meditate for nine days as part of the Buddhist tradition. Paying homage to the Thai rescue diver is an important component of this time away.
Faith is a response, a dynamic activity. All faith traditions express this response differently and there is much that speaks to us as a people of faith from this story. The parents and all those part of this impossible experience displayed and lived such a strong faith. They trusted that their prayer would be heard. They trusted the reasoning ability and care of those searching. They were attentive to the coach and let him know that they did not blame him. In our Catholic tradition, we would express this kind of faith just as fervently but differently.
As Catholics, we often use Lectio Divina to read the Scriptures. This practice is a way of slowly reading Scripture from our present context and asking what the passage means in our lives. This can be done with other sources as well—music, cinema, art—because God is revealed in many ways. We call this the pedagogy of God. God has a method of teaching, pedagogy. The word "pedagogy" comes from a Greek word meaning "to lead the child." Likewise, God's own manner of leading us, his children, toward himself, is God's pedagogy. Revelation of God comes gradually over time, in our unique life experiences, in the historical context of the time, in relationship, in nature, in prayer and is lifelong.
I was inspired by the Wild Boar soccer team and their grueling-yet-captivating story. There can be many interpretations of this story and its meaning to our lives and our church at this time. I see the image of the church reflected in the parents waiting, the rescuer's skills and knowledge and the universal embrace of the whole world waiting, hoping and praying in anticipation. In another context and in another time this group would not have been found. It is only because of new technology, fine-tuned skills and up to date methods that made for a positive result.
In the world we live in today there are many who are held captive by addiction, fear, misunderstanding, poverty, doubt and confusion to name a few. As a Catholic Church, universal in our very heart, we too, are called to use the many relevant resources available, new technology, abundant forms of prayer and our lived experience to free those hidden among us who are captive. We build the Kingdom of God today, in our midst and in this time, planting the seeds knowing God is with us in this moment of history.
