God in a tree?

Written by Darren Hewer

Old tree An uncanny likeness of the Virgin Mary formed into the bark of a Scarborough tree has left dumbfounded residents wondering if their neighborhood has been divinely blessed.

Some have even been brought to tears by the surreal Mary in the tree.

“I don’t know why it’s there, but I think it’s a blessing,” said Christopher Moreau, 47, who discovered the tree-bound Mary last week. “It raises the hair on your neck, it gives you chills.” [Source: Toronto Sun]

The Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto refuses to acknowledge this as anything miraculous, while still affirming that “We have to careful about saying too specifically what [this is] … People interpret these things in different ways.” (See the article

Protecting the earth: Can you be an atheist and an environmentalist?
This generation: Finding hope in the face of AIDS

for a picture of the actual tree, which is NOT the tree pictured to the right!)

Mr. Moreau (who originally noticed the phenomenon) is not an active religious believer but grew up Catholic and still “did a double-take” when he noticed the tree.

What do you think of this sort of phenomenon? Could God actually be speaking through means like this? Perhaps more importantly, why do even those who do not believe in God often seem to search so earnestly for meaning and significance in the world, even in places like the bark of trees?

Image credit: ~Prescott