This woman has set up her sewing machine near the window where the light is best. But she's left her table and simple machine to go to the window. It's spring — see the greening trees across the way. I imagine she has left the window open so she can get the fresh air while she works. Has a friend or neighbor called her name from below? Has she realized the time and is looking to see if her husband or children are returning home? Or maybe there's the sound of trouble down below.
I prefer to think a familiar voice has called to her and she's calling back, "Come on up!" or "I'll be right down to let you in!" Or maybe someone has called up to her, "Forget about work for an hour, let's get coffee and a piece of cake." At any rate, the picture depicts a very ordinary moment.
Then of course, there's the gospel sense of Jesus calling people: Jesus summoning the apostles at the shore or Matthew in his tax office, Jesus calling Zacchaeus to come down out of the tree, Jesus calling blind Bartimaeus, Jesus calling out Lazarus from the tomb. What about that? Jesus calling me. And calling me for what? Surely not to scold me, but to deepen that friendship which began in the water, at my Baptism.
