Grace Like Swiss Cheese
I like Swiss cheese, don’t you? As I was shopping at Hyvee the other day, I noticed that the Swiss cheese has holes in it. “So what?” so you say—all Swiss cheese has holes in it. I know. In fact, there were all kinds of cheeses next to the Swiss. But only the Swiss had holes. So why doesn’t Swiss come without holes like other cheeses? Not having the answer, I called Swiss
Colony. Diane reported to me, after quelling her laughter, that the holes were caused by the natural “exhaling” of the gasses which develop during the manufacturing process. I asked if there was any Swiss cheese that didn’t have holes. Not real Swiss, she told me; though there had been imitations in which the manufacturer cut holes in cheese to make it look like Swiss.
Strange as it may seem, I began to think about grace. Not unlike the hole in the Swiss cheese, grace has little form. The cheese can’t be Swiss cheese without the hole; any more than life could be real life without grace. The whole can’t be tasted or touched, and yet it is ever so critical to what is the cheese. In like manner, grace is not about tasting or touching; it isn’t about specific acts or deeds. Grace is the very breath of God “exhaling” into life during the “manufacturing process.” Permeating every nook and cranny, grace shapes life just as the hole in the cheese shapes the cheese.
Far too often I have thought of grace as a moment in time or an act in the day. And while they may indeed be grace filled experiences, my unique recognition of them may point instead to my inability or unwillingness to acknowledge God’s grace in the more common and mundane part of life. To the question “What is grace?” The Catechism responds, “Greece is God’s favor toward towards us, unearned and undeserved; by grace God forgives our sins, enlightens our minds, stirs our hearts, and strengthens our wills.” (BCP 858) That doesn’t sound like a singular act to me. Instead, it sounds like the ever-presence of God journeying with us through the 23rd Psalm of life. So, when you get tired and you feel hopeless, all as all of us do from time to time, pull up a chair, pour a glass of milk and cut yourself a piece of Swiss cheese. Crackers anyone?
Father Bill Myrick
