Butterflies Again

I am still thinking about butterflies--probably because we associate butterflies with new life, and we have these wonderful new babies in our lives.

I have heard a lot of homilies in my life, and I must confess that I do not remember most of them. One I do vividly remember I heard when I was in graduate school, and I even remember the title of the homily: "Something Happens to a Butterfly When it Struggles." The sermon included the story of a child who watched with great impatience a butterfly emerging from a cocoon. As he watched the frail-looking insect with its wet wings struggle to emerge into its new life, he decided to give the butterfly some help, and he peeled back part of the cocoon to allow the butterfly to escape. The butterfly did emerge from its cocoon, but it was limp and listless, and it died soon after. The child was crushed that the beautiful insect did not live.

But, you see, something happens to a butterfly when it struggles. The struggle to break free from the cocoon allows the butterfly to gain strength and endurance as it uses new muscles. It is a battle the insect must do on its own. Helping the butterfly emerge prematurely in fact guarantees that the butterfly will not survive.

So the question we face as parents watching our children emerge from their cocoons is when do we need to allow them to struggle on their own, knowing that in that struggle strength will be gained that will equip them for struggles all through life.

Yes, even the frail-looking ethereal butterflies have much to teach us about life.