Week 19 - We were Framed!

You've probably heard the expression "he was framed" in the context of someone being set up for a crime they didn't commit. Used this way, the idea of framing implies the person is boxed in by the evidence and cannot escape. It sounds like a very bad place to be.

Most of the time, though, frames can be a very positive thing. Frames provide decoration, such as the frame around a photograph. They provide support, such as the frame around a pair of glasses.

They can even provide structure, as evidenced by the exterior wall framing installed this week on the new Parish Center. You can see in this week's photo album how the structure of the windows around the exterior of the building are created and identified by their framing.

It's easy to see the importance of frames. Around the kitchen area of the new parish center, you can witness how the limestone beltline and splash stones frame in the colors of the building, making the red and tan stand out and complement each other. The arches and architecture of the church itself frame the entrance to our house of worship, highlighting it as a place of welcome and community.

If you look deeper, though, you can find the idea of frames is almost universal. The Church provides a frame within which the whole of our beliefs is contained. Each week, the mass provides a framework for our worship. We take these beliefs with us, and use them as the framework for how we treat others, and how we live our lives. Clearly, its important to have frames.

To some, it may not look like a lot has happened on our parish campus this week. To me, the framework we have laid forms the foundation for all that will be accomplished through this project. In that sense, being framed is a very good thing indeed.

It's really all about your frame of mind.