Our Trip to Spain Part #2 - A Walk Through the Park

This is my second post about a trip my wife and I took to Spain for the occasion of a wedding. The last post was about our taxi ride when we got there, so here it what happened next. Being that one usually arrives in Europe in the morning when traveling from the US, Joanne and I decided to take a walk through a very large park in the heart of Madrid. It is called, “Parque del Buen Retiro” or “The Buen Retiro Park”. It is a little less the half the size of Central Park in NY, but still well worth checking out. Among the many things that we saw two things jumped out at me to think about further. Here is the first one, with the next one to follow in my next post. Hopefully sooner than this one.

First, was our walk through the “Palacio de Cristal” or as we would say, “The Crystal Palace”. From the outside it’s a beautiful structure. That has a large pond in the front of it, that sort of acts as a reflecting pool. 

But once inside this all changed. I found out that it was a kind of art exhibit hall with the work of one artist on display. It was supposed to represent what a building looks like behind the sheetrock and paint. Kind of like the bare bones of the building. In some way representing that buildings are be exploited for there use and here is what is at the heart of the building. Yes, that is what the pamphlet said. Now, I do not claim to be an art expert, but it took me several minutes to even recognize the snake/bone type structures that made up the exhibit. I you look closely at the pictures you might see what I am talking about.

I said to myself, “Deacon, maybe you just need to broaden your mind a bit, let’s have a stole around and find out what is going on in here.” I did try to do this task. I looked and looked, but sadly I never saw. I even read the pamphlet that the ushers where handing out.  Nope nothing. Maybe, it was just too deep and over my head, but then again, some art is well, junk! Either way, the outside of the building was grand and shining like a light upon the hill, but the inside was empty, without purpose, and left much to be desired.  

This experience made me think about when our Lord observes the chief problem of the Pharisees. He tells them, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” (Matthew 23:27-28) Jesus desires us to recognize that it’s what is inside us and all people that matters. When can have all the beauty that we can afford, but what in our hearts and minds is what counts. Some of the most attractive people to ever live, have also been the most corrupt and evil that the world has ever known. Then some simple or ordinary looking people have been the kindest, loving, caring to walk upon this earth. We must ask the question, what then becomes of the body that Jesus gave us, that he washed clean in baptism, when we fall short of the glory he has bestowed upon us? We become like the Pharisees, or an empty and unused museum; alive and glowing on the outside, but lifeless, empty and dead on the inside. We are called to be fully human and to live to our fullest potential, just as God created us. Therefor we must to act upon the plan he has for each of us. As Saint Paul reminds us in Romans "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." (828) God himself has given us all things in Jesus, let us do the same in return.