Prayer for the Impossible

 

“We've got a problem Houston,”. Remember that famous line in the movie “Apollo13.” There's another famous line in scripture when Mary says: “Do whatever He tells you.”

 

Mary discovers that they’re out of wine. What kind of wedding is this? That means the party's over, but isn't it interesting that Mary doesn't hesitate? Not for a moment. She goes directly to Jesus and says they have no wine. She has no doubt. She's certain that He will do something. 

 

And it makes sense because this mom knows that nothing is impossible with God. That's what the Angel Gabriel told her at the Annunciation. There is no such thing as an unsolvable human problem. Nothing is impossible with God, and she must have known it at the moment of Jesus' birth and in raising Him. She knew Jesus. He's not ordinary in any way. So she says to the servants, "Do whatever He tells you."

The Gospel doesn't tell us very much about how Jesus did it, He simply instructs them to fill the water jars. There are 6 of them with water, 150 gallons. We don't know where the water comes from. We don't know how long it takes, but we do know that once it's accomplished, the water has miraculously become wine.

 

Jesus does the miraculous. He takes what, by all appearances, looks like a shortage, a disaster, the end of the party, he saves the day and turns it into abundance. 

 

Now Susan, my devoted to kitties spouse, spent weeks building an outdoor shed for feral cats. She insulated the wood frame with styrofoam and laid a bed of straw to keep the outdoor critters toasty and safe. She gave this hut away to one of her foster moms. Sue asked for my help in 3 degree weather to deliver the hut where she discovered the front porch entrance looked too narrow. At that moment, a neighbor stopped his truck who was collecting scrap metal. He asked the foster mom if she had any scrap metal but she replied not at the moment. He saw the hut on the back of the truck and asked if he could help. A miracle. No way could Sue or this foster mom lift this mini-house.  Thankfully we got it through the front door of the porch. 

 

If you did not know this fact, Jesus is in the business of converting our shortages into abundances.

So I have a question for you. What's your shortage? What appears hopeless? Maybe it seems Covid will never go away. Or, something small like a habit that's become an addiction. What appears impossible. What in your life appears unsolvable, something missing that no one or nothing could possibly replace?

Now, it may seem like a small thing to you and me to bother the Son of God. We're embarrassed to say, "Jesus, we got a little wine problem over here. We got a delivery to make but need a little help. But when Mary sees a shortage, she doesn't hesitate. She goes directly to Jesus because she knows that Jesus cares about the details of her life. And with him, nothing is impossible. 

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who are facing something small or something big that won’t go away. Like digging out of two feet of snow after a winter storm. Where there had been 150 gallons of water, now, there's 150 gallons of beautiful wine. Mary points the way to her son and we learn why he does the things he does. Jesus does this not to impress people, not to prove anything, but simply to reveal his glory. Where we see hopelessness, Jesus envisions abundance. 

Living in the Spirit

 

Have you ever been annoyed when someone asked you this personal question: “do you live in the Spirit?”

 

Too often, this phrase is used in a way that is too pious, too over-charged with charismatic fervor, or too theologically abstract to have much meaning for ordinary people. It may well summarize Christian life, but it can also be little more than a very vague platitude. What does it mean “to live in the Spirit?”

 

The Holy Spirit, as classically defined in theology, is “the love between the God and Christ, the Father and the Son.”

 

St. Paul speaks candidly telling us that, if in our lives there is “lewd conduct, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, hostilities, bickering, jealousy, outbursts of rage, selfish rivalries, dissensions, factionalism, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and the like,” then we are not living in the spirit, pure and simple. However, we are living in the spirit when, in our lives, there is “charity, joy, peace, patience, endurance, kindness, generosity, faith, mildness, and chastity.” (Galatians 5:19-22)

 

This is a valuable insight because, if we take Paul’s words seriously, we can never delude ourselves into identifying true life in the Spirit with what it is so often confused with, namely, false piety and (in pious circles) over-privatized sentiment and confrontation out of hurt, paranoia, and narrow loyalties (in both liberal and conservative circles). When the fruits of the Spirit are absent, regardless of how spiritually confident and self-righteous we might feel or how right our cause might seem, then the Spirit too is absent.

 

Let me help you understand and be clear about “living in the spirit.” with a real true story of parental love during our pandemic.  

 

A dad works as an aide for a special school that cares for physically challenged children. The kids cannot wear masks because of their disabilities. He is in a room with his coworkers who are mandated to wear masks but he has no idea if they have been vaccinated and boosted. He shared that both he and his wife are vaccinated and boosted because they have a six-year old daughter at home and she is not yet eligible to receive the vaccine. He worse fear is that he could give his daughter Covid and she dies from the virus

 

His coworkers have not shared if they have been vaccinated and he worries if he could get the virus from them. The relationship of this school staff is that teachers, therapists, aides and staff take pride in caring for these fragile and vulnerable children. Their dedication and vocation to service makes this community more joyful, peaceful, patient and willing to do anything to make their children feel accepted and safe.

 

The atmosphere of this workplace creates a climate of charity, joy, peace and patience.

 

The invitation to get vaccinated and boosted has nothing to do with individual conscious,  personal freedom, or mandates, but to “live in the spirit” where people focus their energy on bringing charity, peace and patience. This father is grateful to work in this environment and hopes that his coworkers have made the decision to get vaccinated to keep all the children at their school safe and keep his daughter out of harms way.

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends and especially, all the children of the world, that we choose to “live in the spirit” that keeps them safe from any virus and harm. Give us the Spirit to make the decision to get vaccinated and boosted out of charity and gratitude that will lead us all out of this pandemic and into a world of joy, peace, patience and goodness.

 

Suggestions for the New Year

 

The journey of the magi is long and risky but ends with joy. Our journey is this new year may also seem long and risky but our focus looks to a hopeful future filled with healing and peace.

 

Let me offer seven suggestions to help you get beyond feeling overwhelmed.

 

1.On New Year’s Day after we watched the Rose Bowl parade on RDF, the agriculture channel, and Dr. Who, I took a walk in my park. Yes, I am blessed to manage a forest we call Reviresco, the Latin word that means “to be green again.” But the weather was soggy and foggy, yet this walk helps to clear our minds. It literally helps to rearrange our thoughts and ideas in our minds and best of all relieves stress, and releases happy hormones in our bodies.

 

2. Talk to someone. During the Rose Bowl Parade, I phoned not texted Stan to ask his willingness to help someone struggling with irritable bowel disease. Just telling someone what we are experiencing can change everything. Even leaving a voicemail saying. Hey, just wanted to chat, feeling so overwhelmed today can be liberating. Stan was wonderful when he said, “Yes, I’d be glad to help this hurting soul.” The disease is about how the head and gut and body are connected. Interesting, he immediately knew how to find relief, you have to disconnect the head and the gut. He knew from experience when our thoughts are out of control, we feel miserable and depressed and our bodies start to leak.

 

3. Do. Delete, Delegate. Divide your to-do list into these three categories. Divide and conquer. This will help you focus on what’s important. Last Thursday, I mapped a strategy for a priest friend and encouraged him to start delegating to others so that his energy is focused on important matters that bring him joy.

 

4. Tidy your space. Organize your work or living space has a way of reorganizing our thoughts and feelings. I have no problem with this task, but the secret if you are stuck is number five.

 

5 Ask for help. It’s a sign of strength and genius and not a sign of weakness.

 

6 Cancel everything that is not essential on your schedule for a day or two, or a week if that is what is required. You might call it a mental health day, and the way to recharge your battery is to stop and smell the roses or for me to pick up my camera and start shooting. 

 

 

7. Finally, do something. Start doing something and don’t allow yourself to feel overwhelmed that it paralyzes you. Inaction will only take you deeper into the overwhelmed state. Pick one thing on your to-do list and do it. I will review my baking recipes and start to learn how to cook a new casserole or better yet, bread recipe.

 

We all get overwhelmed from time to time. This isn’t the last time we are going to feel like this, but in this new year, it might be a time to develop a strategy to deal with it.

 

Like the Magi, we need to be willing to follow the star, not knowing precisely where it would lead them, we need to be open and attentive to aspects in life that can lead us to a divine encounter.

 

What is your star today? What holds your gaze and leads you closer to Christ? The traditions of the Epiphany invite us to think about how we can find our way to Christ throughout the year. We should look for events, people and actions that can help us to encounter Christ. The magi were on a journey together, and we should remember that we are not on a solo trip. In addition to relying on our community, we should also seek ways to help others to draw nearer to Christ.

 

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends that we start calling one another when we are stuck in a rut and offer the encouragement of one another. Perhaps, this is where we encounter the Christ when we hear the voice on the other line say: “Thinking about you today, what’s up?”