Weekends with Chesterton: Wrong Side of the Tapestry
"Do you believe in doom?" asked the restless Prince Saradine suddenly.
"No," answered his guest. "I believe in Doomsday."
The prince turned from the window and stared at him in a singular manner, his face in shadow against the sunset. "What do you mean?" he asked.
"I mean that we here are on the wrong side of the tapestry," answered Father Brown. "The things that happen here do not seem to mean anything; they mean something somewhere else. Somewhere else retribution will come on the real offender. Here it often seems to fall on the wrong person."
--G.K. Chesterton, The Sins of Prince Saradine
*********************************************
This quote comes from one of the Father Brown "detective" stories. I say detective with quotes because in this story the detective does not solve the mystery with his intellectual powers and neither is the criminal brought to justice. It is a powerful story, however, the whole point of which is embodied in the above quote. We here on earth are on the wrong side of the tapestry and things are often unjust and unresolved.
We are so blessed to have our hope of Heaven, our hope of seeing this Tapestry--a beautiful intricate work revealed to us in all its glory. Thus, everything that happens is for a reason, a specific thread chosen to make the pattern more beautiful.
(In that light, my cousin's baby son is going to be born today, 7 weeks early. Colton is only 3 pounds. Would you say a prayer for that tiny baby and his dad and mom?)
Comments
God is so good. I feel we all are on the same page .