WATCHWORD:
22 The faithful love of the Lord never ends!
His mercies never cease.
23 Great is his faithfulness;
his mercies begin afresh each morning.
24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance;
therefore, I will hope in him!”
25 The Lord is good to those who depend on him,
to those who search for him.
26 So it is good to wait quietly
for salvation from the Lord.”
Lamentations 3:22-26
Meditation:
Last night I was in turmoil when it was time to turn the light out and go to bed. I had written a meditation for this morning, but, frankly, it was silly and I wasn’t happy with it. Yet, beside the crazy twists and turns that my mind was doing, I had my conversation with God and then went to sleep … 6 hours! For me, that’s great!
This morning, the turmoil of yesterday was gone, and in its place, we’re five separate thoughts, each born of my morning meditation readings. One, had to do with my book on Barabbas that is in the hands of the publishing house, and I can’t change a word without losing the fall release date. Still, it’s a thought, so I jotted a note to myself.
The other four thoughts came out of the thinking and writings of Sarah Young, Oswald Chambers, Joyce Meyer and whoever puts together Verse-A-Day. I call them Scribes of the Lord. So, with some of their input, I share the following with you:
How about you? How did you wake up this morning? Are you open to what God has planned for you? Or, are you plotting your day, or maybe you are simply resigned to another same-old, same-old that yesterday was and tomorrow probably will be. If that’s your state of affairs, then let me say to you, as a friend, GET OVER IT! This is the day the Lord has made and he’s a better planner than you are.
Jesus tells us: “As you look into the day that stretches out before you, you see many choice points along the way. The myriad of possibilities these choices present can confuse you. Draw your mind back to the threshold of this day, where I stand beside you, lovingly preparing you for what is ahead…Instead of trying to create a mental map of your path through this day, focus on My Loving Presence with you. I will equip you as you go, so that you can handle whatever comes your way. Trust me to supply what you need when you need it.”
Then you hear another voice in your mind that is not your friend. It may be saying stuff like, ‘Trusting in the Lord sounds good, but what am I going to do today? I need a plan! Now! Do you know how hard isolation and virus-fear is?’
Then, if you are really listening, you will hear, very faintly, “Dearest daughter/son, Peace, be still. Come, my child, talk to me.”
Brother Maury shared this with us: Being incarcerated without a crime or trial can be a frustrating experience, but we are not suffering. We don’t like it but we are getting used to it. In fact, my indoor compass has only 2 directions instead of 4. It is either worry or worship, which is either defeat or liberty. It is liberating to know for certain that our Lord is in total control. Nothing is allowed by Him that cannot be used for His glory and our good. So, let’s worship our sovereign Lord.
Amen, Maury, we must stay in the worship mode. Worry causes worry, and defeat is…well, defeating!
“Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who trusts in Him!” Psalm 34:8
Bulletin Board:
From Jeff Hawkins: Thanks for the encouragement. Perhaps as we talk to ourselves today, our voices can echo Dr. King and latch onto “the buoyancy of hope!” Take five minutes and watch this (Thought for the Day: Hope Never Gets Old, from Father Greg Boyle) and you will perhaps see what I mean. Grace and peace!
—Jeff
From the Poet Laureate:
Poetry
Poetry can be found everywhere, even in the breath of a cold winters air.
It sometimes emerges in a dream or perhaps when we feel the warmth of a sunbeam.
The words often occur as a gift from on high; certainly, something the poet cannot buy.
Childhood memories of birth, love, death or what might seem despair.
These and of all things does poetry care.
Then no matter what; the words should end in hope.
As time marches forward; tomorrow always finds a way to cope.
There is no formula to success, it just occurs, words emerge, in rhyme cadence be.
Somehow feel the magic and love of poetry.
— Mac McKinley
From Stan – Some funnies are worth repeating: A priest, a pastor and a rabbit walk into a bar. The rabbit says, “I’m a typo.”
Okay, maybe not. How about this:
I went to a mixed religion seminar. The Christian Priest came, laid his hands on my hand and said, “By the will of Jesus Christ, you will walk today!” I smiled and told him I was not paralyzed.
The Rabbi came, laid his hands on my hand and said, “By the will of God Almighty, you will walk today! I was less amused and told him there was nothing wrong with me.
The Mullah came, took my hands and said, “Insha Allah, you will walk today!” I snapped at him, “There’s nothing wrong with me”
The Buddhist Monk came, held my hands and said, “By the will of The Great Buddha, you will walk today!” I rudely told him there was nothing wrong with me.
After the sermons, I stepped outside and found my car had been stolen. (I quit!)
Closing Prayer:
May we who are merely inconvenienced remember those whose lives are at stake. May we who have no risk factors remember those most vulnerable. May we who have the luxury of working from home remember those who must choose between preserving their health and making their rent. May we who have the flexibility to care for our children when their schools close remember those who have no options. May we who have to cancel our trips remember those who have no safe place to go. May we who are losing our margin money in the tumult of the economic market remember those who have no margin at all. May we who settle in for a quarantine at home remember those who have no home. As fear grips our country, let us choose love. And during this time when we may not be able to physically wrap our arms around each other, let us yet find ways to be the loving embrace of God to our neighbors. Amen.
— Fr. Michael Graham, S.J.
