The Carving Pumpkin

By Fr. Alfonse Nazzaro

Last week I was on a priest retreat. Retreats are always a wonderful time to recharge, relax, and reflect. This time, I found myself thinking a lot about my childhood.

When I returned, I asked the children what they thought I was like when I was their age. Their answers made me laugh — they imagined I was happy, funny, and popular. And while I was the class clown, what they didn’t know was that I often used humor to hide a deep struggle at home. My parents argued constantly. Shouting and yelling were part of everyday life, and as a child I sometimes thought I was the unluckiest kid in the world. Out of seven siblings, only my parents divorced. I remember wondering if it was somehow my fault — if God didn’t love me, or maybe didn’t even exist.

Of course, as adults we know that isn’t true, but children often carry guilt for things they can’t understand. They aren’t yet able to see the spiritual dimension of human relationships — that mysterious place where grace meets weakness.

After leaving the retreat, I stopped at Walmart to pick up a few groceries. There I noticed a section labeled “Carving Pumpkins.” The name caught my attention. These pumpkins were destined to be scooped out and cut up — left bruised, scarred, and hollowed. And suddenly, I realized how much they resembled us. Each of us bears wounds, scars, and moments that make us question our worth or God’s love.

But what if God allows these struggles — not to punish us, but to draw us closer to Him? What if the cracks in our lives are not signs of His absence but openings through which His light can shine?

When I brought one of those pumpkins home, I placed it at the foot of the altar. The farmer who planted the seed, the worker who cut the stem, the one who tossed it on a truck, and even the Walmart employee who stacked it on the shelf — none of them could have imagined that a priest would one day place it before Jesus Christ.

The moral is simple:
People might try to decide what you’re “good for.”
But don’t ever let anyone — or anything — define you except the One who made you.

You were created in the image and likeness of God.
And if you find it hard to believe that God loves you, maybe it’s time to change your image of God.