Light in the Darkness…If

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afflicted, guide, hungry, Isaiah, light, plenty, strength, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

I have been delighting in a website called Tinybeans which keeps me up to date with the growth and progress of a friend’s baby. Today was the saga of his introduction to carrots and it didn’t go well. John made it perfectly clear that he was not going to eat those orange things, regardless of the efforts of both his parents to encourage it. It is fascinating to see how babies react to tastes. (I, for one, found carrots in the top three vegetables and still do!) At this point, John does not have language to refuse – only facial clues – no matter how his parents coax him. Later on, perhaps, they will cajole or demand compliance when encouraging acceptable behavior, or will make “deals” with him in the traditional “if/then” process: “If you eat your vegetables, then you can have dessert…” but for now, he wins.

It may be stretch, but John made me think of this morning’s reading from the prophet Isaiah. (58: 9b ->). The stakes are much higher in what Isaiah is proposing, however, and the promises are quite tempting. Listen to yourself reading it aloud:

Thus says the Lord: If you remove from your midst oppression, false accusation and malicious speech, if you bestow your bread on the hungry and satisfy the afflicted, then light shall rise for you in the darkness and the gloom shall become for you like midday. Then the Lord will guide you always and give you plenty even on the parched land. He will renew your strength, and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring whose water never fails.

Can you feel the light rising in you? If not, try turning off all the lights in the room you’re in and stand in the dark for a moment or two. Then turn all the lights on at once and see what you can see. And thank God for all the promises you have been given.

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Trust

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guide, Romans, St. Paul, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, trust

Sometimes it’s hard to hear lines from Scripture like this morning’s verse that says: “We know that all things work for good for those who love God…” (ROM 8). That’s especially difficult when things seem to be frustrating our schedules or our desires or the way “things ought to be.” It sometimes takes a long look back to find the reason for what happened along the way. I even suppose I will still have a few questions when I reach the end of my particular “road” in life. It’s very helpful if we can come to see the wisdom in what didn’t make sense when it happened, but sometimes that just isn’t the case.

I have lived long enough to know that we need to trust that line from St. Paul, just as the Romans had to trust it all those centuries ago. It’s helpful if we have some help in looking back from wise people who know us well and it’s a real grace if we can actually figure out meanings that were obscure along the way. For now, however, I’ve seen enough to trust the God I’ve come to know as a good and gracious and loving guide even when I can’t see how everything fits together. I figure it will all work out in the end. Since the end result, Paul says, is good “for those who love God,” I’m safe because I truly do love God. Oh yes, I truly do – no matter what.

The World We Live In

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balance, eyes, guide, hear, hearts, Jesus, Luke, Matthew, news, pray, Proverbs, psalm 119, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Sometimes it’s difficult to know what to say in this complex and over-stimulating world  in which we now live. This morning as I was considering the lectionary readings one by one I kept getting interrupted with news flashes. It went something like this:

“All the ways of a man may be right in his own eyes, but it is the Lord who proves hearts.” (PRV 21:2) -> -> Major problems with New Yorker’s second Kavanaugh accuser…

“Guide me, Lord, in the way of your commands.” (PS 119:35) -> -> How today’s multi-cultural couples are making their wedding ceremonies uniquely their own.

“Blessed are those who hear the word of the Lord and keep it.” (LK 11:28) -> -> U.N to caution against populism as world leaders convene for the annual summit.

“Jesus said to them in reply, ‘My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it.'” -> -> Former priest extradited to face child sexual abuse charges blamed cancer, prosecutors say.

I’m not saying there is any direct connection between the Scripture quotes and the specific news headlines. My point is to remind myself that no matter how bad or disturbing or confusing, or even wonderful (should that also be the case) the news is, it needs to be balanced with the basic premise of Scripture, repeated in several ways this morning, and that we need to look deeply into our hearts and minds to assess what we see and hear happening in the world. When it gets to be “all too much,” there’s that other piece of advice that comes to mind, i.e. “Go into your inner room, close the door and pray…” (MT 6:6)

 

 

 

 

 

Homecoming

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bless the Lord, friend, God, guide, James Quinn SJ, Lectionary, might, Morning Has Broken, psalm 34, ritual, strength, sustain, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, wisdom

Having arrived home last night, I could not wait another day to take up this morning ritual. Rising from sleep in my very own room, I recall my sister-in-law asking my brother – in a ritual of their own –  what song has awakened him. Today I have a lovely answer for this lovely day. It is the words of Jesuit James Quinn set to the tune of Morning Has Broken. As I throw open my window to welcome the sun and a sweet breeze, I hear within these lyrics:

This day God gives me strength of high heaven, sun and moon shining, flame in my hearth, flashing of lightning, wind in it’s swiftness, deeps of the ocean, firmness of earth. This day God sends me strength to sustain me, might to uphold me, wisdom as guide. Your eyes are watchful, Your ears are listening, Your lips are speaking, Friend at my side.

Then I turn to the lectionary and find Psalm 34 that calls me to taste and see the goodness of the Lord.” How can I not respond as did the psalmist? “I will bless the Lord at all times! God’s praise shall be ever in my mouth!”

Happy Sunday, indeed!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wild Weather

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deliver me, fear, God, guide, lightning, path of life, psalm 31, safe, shelter, stormy, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, wind

It was difficult to go to sleep last night. Thunder and lightning the like of which I have not experienced in quite some time accompanied wind and torrential rains, washing away the last of winter. It seemed to last for hours. It’s still raining a little this morning but quietly; all that’s left to do is the clean up of branches strewn everywhere around the yard. Thanks to my father who taught us to revere storms, counting the seconds between lightning and thunder to determine the storm’s distance away from us, I am never afraid of their power or potential for destruction. I am aware but never afraid.

I am reminded of that gift of confidence in a short section from this morning’s responsorial psalm (#31 – alternate translation) that sings: So come then, God, deliver me. You are my solid ground in sinking sand, a place that’s firm to plant my feet and stand. You are for me a shelter safe, a guide upon the path of life. So today my prayer is two-fold. I pray for those who have experienced great loss from storms and need to have their trust in God and in life rebuilt. Smiling, I pray in gratitude for my father and for people the world over who are like God in their ability and willingness to be a safe shelter for others in times of need.