When Leonardo DaVinci was turning 30, he needed a job so he wrote a letter to the ruler of Milan. In the first 10 paragraphs he touted his own success and skill as an engineer who could build bridges, cannons and buildings. And then in the eleventh paragraph, he mentioned that he was also an artist. “I can also paint as well as any man.” Walter Issacson tells this story in his biography of DaVinci. Every time we gather at church we are reminded of DaVinci’s witness as an artist. He painted the Last Supper, of which our life-sized wood carving is a replica. And he painted the world famous Mona Lisa. Because, as he said in paragraph 11, “I can also paint.”

DaVinci remade the world of painting by integrating science and engineering with art. He took his God-given gifts and shared them with the world. What are the gifts of our own lives that we might place in paragraph 11? Some of us have the gift of singing. Some of us know how to organize and plan. Others bring the talent of cooking, or the rare quality of tender listening. All of us have the gift of generosity. How might the divine one of heaven use the raw materials of our lives to remake the world?

In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul writes:

“Although I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to me to bring to the Gentiles the news of the boundless riches of Christ, and to make everyone see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things…” (3:8-9)

Paul reminds us that even those of us who are the “least of all the saints” can co-create the future with God so that the boundless riches of Christ can be revealed. Each of us was created in the image of God and can offer our lives so that the hidden mystery of God can be seen and experienced. As we offer the fragments and joys of our lives, we too are remade. Like DaVinci, we offer the substance of who we are and God creates something powerful, beautiful and new. “I can also_____ .”

Grace and Peace,

Carla