The Apple of God's Eyes

Those who know me, knows that I love apples, from apple pies to Applebee’s to the Apple iPad.  Being from the state of Washington, home of the Apple Cup and the largest apple production in the country, I have a unique fond for apples.  I love the colors, textures, smell and taste of apples.  But I have never reflected upon apples until I ran across Zechariah 2:8, “… whoever touches you touches the apple of God’s eye.”  It was a simple, but profound statement.  I realized that each one of us, including myself, are really all apples of God’s eyes.

I think that self-realization is one of the greatest revelations in prayer to come to.  Many times I feel that I am the apple of God’s eyes, but on others occasions, I feel unworthy of God’s love and forget how precious I am to God.  To be an apple of someone’s eyes means you have to be very dear to them and be at the focus of their life since the pupil is at the center of the eye.  I love the reality behind this imagery.  It is saying when I look into God’s eyes, I will be able to see my own reflection.  Sin of course, turns our eyes away from God and gaze at something that is disguised as love.  It is during these moments, I find myself feeling like a bruised apple. 

But even a bruised apple can be a precious gift in itself.  This is because when an apple is bruised, it sucks in more nutrients so that it can heal, and therefore, makes the apple sweeter.  For me, one of the things that I will take away from my novitiate is the knowledge that God not only loves me, but it is God’s joy to love me.  As my spiritual journey continues, I continue to take our founder, Fr. Leo Dehon’s words of going out to the world with a Bible in one hand and the other a newspapers to heart.  Of course looking at the signs of the time, I would like to tweak it just a bit by carrying a Bible in one hand, and the other with an “Apple” Ipad.