More Than A Caterpillar with Wings
The Butterfly has been a
powerful symbol or metaphor for new life. It is an image used at Easter time to
evoke beauty and freedom.
Ferris Jabr, writing for
Scientific America penned this description of metamorphosis at:
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/caterpillar-butterfly-metamorphosis-explainer/
Once inside the cocoon:
…the caterpillar, releases enzymes to dissolve all of its tissues… But the
contents of the pupa are not entirely an amorphous mess. Certain highly
organized groups of cells known as imaginal discs survive the digestive process. Before hatching, when a
caterpillar is still developing, it grows an imaginal disc for each of the adult body parts it
will need as a mature butterfly or moth—discs for its eyes, for its wings, its
legs and so on.
Once a caterpillar
has disintegrated all of its tissues except for the imaginal discs, those discs
use the protein-rich soup all around them to fuel the rapid cell division
required to form the wings, antennae, legs, eyes, genitals and all the other
features of an adult butterfly or moth.
The transformation is total. A butterfly is not a
caterpillar with wings.
Celebrating Resurrection Sunday is all about becoming a new
creature in Christ. We celebrate that in each of us is are “spiritual imaginal
discs,” formed by God, wakened by Christ, and given new life by the Holy
Spirit. In Christ our being is transformed. We rise from the tomb of sin and
death, not as old selves with wings added. We rise as new creatures.
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