This is the story of a very great mystery; a mystery which all the mice talked about, but which was never solved until the day Eckhart set off on his great adventure. It was the day he discovered the true meaning of Crumbfest.For Eckhart and the other mice, every year was divided into two parts: the Outside part, and the Inside part. During the long warm days they lived in a snug burrow beneath a spruce tree in the corner of a field, next to the woods. But when the days became shorter, and the great snows came, they left Outside and moved Inside, between the walls of the big white farmhouse where the people lived. The mice, of course, didn't refer to them as people. They called them "the straight ones" because of the way they walked.
Eckhart didn't like going Inside. None of the mice did. The narrow space between the walls, where they spent the winter, was a cold, dismal place. There was no grass there, or trees, or flowers; and no sunshine.
The Inside was also a hungry place. There was plenty of food in the house, but it was always shut up in the little pantry off the kitchen - in jars, or in tins with tight covers. The only spot the mice could find food was on the kitchen floor, underneath the big wooden table where the people ate. There would usually be a few crumbs there, tiny bits of bread that had tumbled down from above.
But there was one time of the year when all that changed.
Every year, in late December, just a few weeks after the mice had moved Inside, a most astonishing thing happened. Suddenly, there were crumbs everywhere. For several days the mice feasted, not just on bread but also on cake, and cookies, and piecrust.
The mice had a name for this time of abundance. They called it Crumbfest, and over the years it had became the most important celebration in mouse society. "Merry Crumbfest", they would call out to one another as they scurried in and out of their hole in the wall, bringing back load after load of tasty morsels.
The truth is, Eckhart had some doubts about Crumbfest. He started thinking about the reason for this most mysterious event. He decided that he must solve the riddle and go exploring.
He passed beneath the great wooden table. He looked across the room and saw a door leading into a hallway. Beyond that was the unknown, and, perhaps, the secret of Crumbfest. He knew that was where he must go. And that's when he saw it!
Eckhart could scarcely believe his eyes. He looked again, it was a tree. A fir tree. A beautiful tree from the Outside was right there in front of him - on the Inside.
Eckhart ran over quickly and looked up into the branches. There, on the tree, were other things from the Outside. There was a long string of red berries - the kind that grow on the rose bushes along the fence - and some birds. They didn't look exactly like the birds he had seen Outside, but they were definitely birds, sitting very still in the branches.
There was a small table beside the tree and Eckhart ran quickly up one of the legs to get a better view. When he came up over the top there was another great surprise waiting for him. There, gathered together in a circle, were tiny animals from the Outside.
There were two cows, a horse with long ears and several sheep. There were also some tiny people there, and right in the middle a little box, with a baby sleeping in some straw. Eckhart walked over slowly and stood beside one of the sheep, which was exactly the same size as he was. He remained there quietly for a few moments, standing just as still as the other animals.
And that's when it happened!
Eckhart felt something he had never felt before. It started somewhere inside of him, and spread right out to the very tips of all his whiskers, and to the end of his extra-long tail. It wasn’t exactly astonishment, and it wasn't exactly joy. It was wonder - that's what it was. Eckhart felt wonder-full.
It only lasted a short time, but Eckhart knew that in that moment he had discovered the meaning of Crumbfest. It came to him in a flash, and he knew his journey was over.
When he arrived back between the walls, Eckhart told them the story of his journey. He told them about the big room, the tree, the berries and the birds. And when he got to the part about the animals he lowered his head, straightened his tail, and said softly, "The mystery of Crumbfest is the mystery of the Outside and the Inside. When the Outside comes Inside it is a special time, for when the Outside and the Inside are together, Crumbfest happens."
For a moment no one spoke. Most of the mice looked puzzled. But there were a few whose eyes opened very wide, as through they had just heard a secret, which they already knew.
God prays for us as we reflect: “Consider the mice: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than all creatures great and small.” Luke 12:24.
Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends that like Eckhart they experience for themselves the mystery of Crumbfest and the wonder of a place where the Inside and the Outside are together. A Blessed Christmas Season to all my wonder-full Sonshine Friends, Fr. Matt
