Do you feel a tug towards that ‘other’ shore, the safe side of the Jordan, where pandemic and disruption are left behind? This is a living metaphor for human existence: we yearn for safe haven. Today, we reflect on simply living in the midst of rapids and unexpected depths. There is another side, often visible. It is a good source of hope. But it is not within reach, today.
Thanks to Flickr for the photo.
Christianity teaches us to fix our hope on eternity while facing up to and accepting the truth of the present. This is incredibly difficult to do: we long to control the future! Perhaps this moment gives us an opportunity to experience that in a special way.
You may like to try this stilling exercise, to allow your feelings about today to rise to the surface. With thanks to the late Daniel O’ Leary, who inspired it.
The readings from the bible suggested for today are from the Gospel according to Matthew, Chapter 9, Psalm 103 and the Old Testament prophet Hosea.
Like last week, they do not make for totally comfortable reading!
The people condemned by Hosea have invested their time trying to shore up their defences, failing to trust Divine providence and compromising their God-given values in order to force life to serve their interests. And yet, all they have is about to be taken away.
The Psalm speaks of the brevity of human life: here today gone tomorrow - as grass; as dust.
Matthew describes Jesus looking out into his world and seeing disease; loss; stress; vulnerability. Christ is moved by the extent of the need; the scarcity of resources, that are required to address it.
The present is messy, daunting and, sometimes, hard to endure. And yet it is also the only place in which we are called to serve. It is the place the Divine will meet us and our loved ones.
Allow yourself to respond authentically to this. To grieve the loss of control, if you wish; to feel the toll uncertainty takes on your life; to weep for the hopes you entertain.
As a closing reflection, you may like to listen to these two songs by The Last Spectacular. The first calls us to refuse, as we try to reach that Promised Land, to fall back on our own violence to force it into being.
The second is about a yearning to reach our Eternal home.
(You will need to hit the ‘play’ icon to make the tracks play! If you like the album, do buy it : ) )