Wednesday, September 20, 2023
Memorial of Saints Andrew Kim Tae-gŏn, Priest, and Paul Chŏng Ha-sang, and Companions, Martyrs
(click here to listen to or read today’s scriptures)
Lightning strike at midnight
If I should be delayed you should know how to behave in the household of God, the Church of the Living God, the pillar and foundation of truth. Undeniably great is the mystery of devotion, who was manifested in the flesh, vindicated in the spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed to the Gentiles, believed in throughout the world, taken up in glory.
Oh, taste and see that bountiful passage from Paul to Timothy, poetic and full of mystery, a wealth of images … –
Pillar and foundation of truth.
The mystery of devotion.
Manifested in the flesh,
Vindicated in the spirit,
Seen by angels
Proclaimed to the Gentiles,
Believed in throughout the world.
Taken up in glory.
In the beginning was the Word. And the Word will be bringing up the end, as well – both the Word That Is God, and words that send shivers across my skin, emerge through fire and smoke, ask questions we cannot answer. Should not answer. Must not answer. We are called to live in the questions, because the answers belong to God. As Matt said Sunday, there is no deadline on understanding.
Mystery novels demand reasoned conclusions, but the mysteries of our Father settle into place for us to ponder. The mysteries don’t move – we do. We move from shallow, false certainties to unsettlement, rousted out of our nests to wander awhile outside, where the wind blows wherever it pleases. The wilderness does not belong to our bodies or our minds, the jungle is someone else’s home, and the ocean a deep un-home for us. When we have no destination and then suddenly no home to return to, we are lost. Or seem so to everything we know.
God has us just where he wants us. And he’s in no hurry. With our Father, a day is like a thousand years. He does hear our cries, and he answers them, if we let him, if we refuse to accept our own solutions to the problems we cannot solve, because they are the puzzles of God, made to lead us into surrender.
Are you heavy laden? Come to me, and I will give you rest. But first I must surrender my weight, trust that if I stop thinking and struggling, it’s then that God will give me rest. Maybe an answer, maybe not, but He Will Give Me Rest.
I must admit I don’t know how to do this very well, although it’s easier as my mind and body weaken. My surrender generally starts with breathing, deep breathing, which slows down my body and my mind. My thoughts stop circling like a carnival ride, spinning into the dark and back again.
You have given food to those who fear you, you are forever mindful of your covenant. How great are your works, O Lord. You have the words of everlasting life.
I remember to pray. Jesus, have mercy on me, a sinner. Jesus, have mercy on me, a sinner. The words pierce my darkness. Jesus, have mercy on me, a sinner. The nest is gone, but the desert and jungle and fathomless seas are too. All that God has made, even me, especially me, stand andwait for his word.
His Word.
(1 Timothy 3, Psalm 111, John 6, Luke 7)
(posted at www.davesandel.net)
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