May 05, 2021
by Mary Clifford Morrell
As we pulled into the diner for lunch, I noticed a large black bird with a wide wingspan swooping overhead. As I exited my car and walked toward the building, I realized the bird, a black vulture, had descended on the roof edge along the gutter, now perched wing-to-wing with a second vulture. As we got closer, we could see them both looking intently at us with beady eyes, their heads moving ever so slightly lower as we got closer.
"Keep moving," said my husband with a chuckle, "so they don't think we're their next meal."
I laughed, but it was eerie, knowing how intently they were watching us. I wondered if there was something to learn from the experience.
As scavengers, vultures have a tarnished image. They live off dead and rotting carcasses, something abhorrent to people. They are equated with death and destruction and things foul. But without vultures and similar members of the avian clean-up and sanitation crew, humanity would suffer.
After all, God created every living creature, vultures and humans, alike, with a purpose. Vultures play a significant role in the life cycle, providing opportunities for regeneration, purification, and new beginnings. They get rid of the old, not only what's not needed but what can be detrimental to humans.
Now, when I see a vulture being a vulture on the side of the road or flying overhead, I consider what it is that needs purification and renewal in my life. What is happening in my life that is detrimental to my mental, physical, spiritual life, or family life? What resources are available to me to help me make that change?
Most importantly, I remember that the vulture is living its God-given purpose, which causes me to reflect on whether I am living my purpose, as well.
One of my favorite quotes about creation comes from famed Russian novelist and Orthodox Christian, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, who wrote, "Love all God's creation, the whole and every grain of sand of it. Love every leaf, every ray of God's light. Love the animals, love the plants, love everything. If you love everything, you will perceive the divine mystery in things. Once you perceive it, you will begin to comprehend it better every day. And you will come at last to love the whole world with an all-embracing love."
Vultures may not be the most loveable of birds, but they have been part of my lesson that God's creation has the power to teach us about God, about ourselves, and the relationships that bind us if we are willing to be receptive students.
Mary Regina Morrell is a Catholic journalist, author, and syndicated columnist who has served the dioceses of Metuchen and Trenton, New Jersey, and RENEW International in the areas of catechesis and communication.