Fr Jim Cogley
It is an interesting reflection to observe a bird perched on a branch. The bird can’t fly until it jumps into thin air. As a young fledgling leaving the nest it didn’t know it could fly until it was prepared to make a leap of faith. In fact it was probably unaware of having wings until the time came when it had no option when falling but to open them out. In the spiritual path we use the same language of surrender and letting go and the reality is still the same that we only discover our spiritual wings after we eventually let go. One of the older stories about the leap of faith concerns a man who found himself sliding down a cliff face but managed to stop his fall by catching hold of a piece of shrubbery. He shouted for help. ‘Is there anyone up there’? A voice responded, ‘Yes, I am God and I am always here to help. Just let go!’ to which the man replied, ‘Is there anyone else up there’?