Some people may see the world through “rose-colored glasses” which is seeing the positive in all they view. For me, I think the lesson is looking at the “fuchsia” colored wool.

During a recent spinning guild meeting, I was happily spinning some lovely merino wool on my spinning wheel in the beginning process of making yarn. My fellow guild member next to me commented on  what a lovely “purple” yarn I was making. While I appreciated her compliment of my skill, my mind got caught on the color. “You think this is purple?” I asked her rather incredulously. An interesting conversation regarding color ensued, but it left me a bit agitated. 

At one part of our gathering, we did go around the room stating what we were working on or showing off any completed projects. At my turn I asked the other members what color they thought the wool was. Many different answers were suggested: wine, plum, and purple. At my dismay, they asked what color I thought it was. “Fuchsia,” I replied. It was a very vibrant shade, deep and rich, so I could understand the suggestions of the wine and plum. But for me, it was a bit too much on the pink spectrum to be called purple. One wise spinner suggested I look at the single-strand yarn I was collecting on the bobbin. By taking the “fluff” and spinning it into a single strand, I was changing the way the light reflected on the fibers, making them darker. I began to watch as the spun yarn passed through my fingers and wound onto the bobbin. Some of it was very dark and rich in tone, while other areas were lighter and more of a pinky-red than the purple suggested. I started to wonder if I was seeing the wool as fuchsia because I wanted to see it as fuchsia.

During the Easter season, we get a number of Gospels recounting the reactions of the disciples to the risen Jesus. Even the closest of the chosen Apostles, Simon Peter and John run to the tomb, not because they believe the women’s account, but rather to try and figure out why they are causing such a commotion. In ancient times, women were considered unreliable witnesses and could not give testimony, so while one can sympathize with the two, Thomas didn’t even believe his fellow ten Apostles when they told him. The Apostles had seen Jesus raise others from death, yet they did not understand how it was possible for Him to die and rise again, despite Jesus telling them in preparation for what would happen. Were they too afraid of the consequences if a risen Jesus was the truth? What was it in their perspective that kept them from believing in Jesus’ resurrection? 

Two thousand years later as we play Monday-morning quarterback to the events of that first Easter, we — who know the history that followed after it — find it pitiful that the Apostles didn’t believe. Yet we do know how the Holy Spirit equipped the Apostles to be brave and face martyrdom in order to spread the Good New of Jesus Christ. We know of the persecutions of the early Church and how their bloodshed was the seed of Christendom. We profess at weekly Mass the beliefs of the Catholic Church, but what challenges do we face in our faith? Do we look at the world in the same way that Jesus does, ready to love and forgive others? Or do we choose to look from one perspective only? 

I found the band that had been attached to the wool I was spinning after returning home from the guild meeting. The color was “red-violet.” However, looking up the definition of fuchsia, it is “a vivid reddish purple.” While it seems that we were both right in describing the color, being challenged as to how I saw the color made me think about how I looked at the world. Easter is a powerful season to dig deeper into our faith. As we listen to the beginning of the Church with the readings from the Acts of the Apostles, let us be open to where our weaknesses are, so that we can pray and reflect on the Scriptures, leading us closer to Christ.