(Photo Credit – Patricia Schiissler)
By Patricia Schiissler
Several years ago, when I was newly married and before my young family arrived in the world, I decided to try ceramics. I’m not artistic, but the greenware is already cast and poured, so part of the creation has already been done. My job, in this particular case, was to scrape and clean the rough edges, smooth the sides of the clay, and then paint a couple of coats on the exterior. It was fired and shone beautifully. I was so proud of my beautiful black leopard that I decided to present it to my parents as a special gift. Mom displayed it on a table in her living room for many years. Whenever I would visit, I would admire my creation as work that I had accomplished. After my parents passed away many years later, it was fitting that my creation should be returned to me.
As the New Year starts, it is absorbed in the world of God’s creation. Many people use it to put aside past mistakes and create a new, more wholesome life for themselves. For many, it feels futile, but perhaps it is merely what a person is attempting to complete that poses the difficulty. People have different ideas for every New Year. Sometimes, it’s better health, including nutrition or exercise, less media watching, better work ethics, and more time spent focusing on hobbies, travel, or personal pleasures. I hope people include their faith in their new year’s growth.
Both examples show the nature of beginnings by creating something worthwhile in our minds and lives. There are many forms of being a creator. Our created world had its own beginning with God. The Book of Genesis tells of the beginning and how God proceeded from there. Could the beginning of a new year be compared to God creating a world and what His dreams were for His creation? Why not? Could my ceramic creation of a sleek, black leopard be compared to God beginning a world of people and how to sustain them? Why not?
Creation comes with dreams and a progression into the future. What will the created eventually look like? What purpose will it serve and where will it lead? I know that I will love it and care for it because I made it myself. If not, I will work at perfecting my masterpiece until I am satisfied with it. We are God’s created. God must always strive to perfect His creation. Reading and studying scripture in the Bible shows the progression of time from Adam to Jesus and our world today, where God has been creating and perfecting His masterpiece. The day will come when He will have completed His work and display His perfection forever. I hope that I am a part of His future.
It feels strange to think that, in this case, I am both the creator and the created. It is God’s world, and I am a part of it. Yet, I am not the one in control of what perfection will eventually look like. It is within God’s creation that I work. I depend on Him entirely. I can dream and plan and create; still, I can only express myself within the context of God’s larger picture and His creation. I believe that God knows me and all that I wish to accomplish so as to fit it into His world of perfection.
Patricia Schiissler, B.Ed., (nee Hanowski) as a lifelong Roman Catholic, was born, baptized, and received her sacraments at St. Henry’s parish in Melville, Saskatchewan. She began her education in a country, one room school (Wymer) from grades one to four. Education then began at St. Henry’s elementary school, grades five to eight and grades nine to twelve in St. Henry’s high school. Pat worked in the University of Regina library and meanwhile married Terry Schiissler in 1973 (BA, Notre Dame, Wilcox). They have 2 children. She retired from teaching at Regina Catholic Schools after 28 years. Pat studied the Understanding Our Faith series from 1997 to 2002. She then took the Lay Formation Program and was commissioned in 2018. Faith interests and accomplishments include Eucharistic ministry, Proclaimer, RCIA sponsor, Bible study facilitator, Chair, Spiritual Education, Lay Liturgy presider, Synod representative, etc. Pat became an author after retiring from teaching. She wrote and self-published, “God in my Life: How God speaks to me”. For the following two and a half years, she promoted the book while speaking to large numbers of people. There were over 25 evangelizing events across Western Canada. The experience was so meaningful that Pat decided to write and publish her second book,” God for all People: Some Fact, Some Fiction”. It is based on her faith journey relating to stories mainly strangers shared with her. Pat’s website is www.patriciaschiissler.com.
