So far beyond my reach . . .

The prayer after communion on the 3^rd Sunday of Lent, Year C:

As we receive the pledge of things yet hidden in heaven

and are nourished while still on earth with the Bread that comes from on high,

we humbly entreat you, O Lord,

that what is being brought about in us in mystery

may come to true completion.

Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

A great mystery is taking place within us, and we are not yet ready to understand what it is. So we sit in hope and expectation, knowing that God is working things in us despite anything that might be in us, whether it be sin, or ignorance, or resistance, or cynicism, or doubt or fear. God is greater than any obstacle of our own making.  As is says in the psalm for the day: “For as the heavens are high above the earth, so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him.” (other translations have “steadfast love” or simply “love.”)

A great mystery is taking place within us: at all times we are a work in process. And the process is yet to be completed. And the process is yet to be revealed to us. And even if it were, our finite minds would not be able to comprehend it. We have to wait for the time to come.

This is excellent material for our meditation: we sit in silence and in hope, we open our hearts and minds and souls, and with rapt attention we contemplate the goodness of God at work in us, a work that can’t be put into words.

We can assume from the closing prayer that the key to this work is the Eucharist itself. It is the Eucharist that unites heaven and earth. There are things yet hidden in heaven (part of the process) and the Bread comes to us from on high and nourishes us while still on earth.

The Eucharist isn’t only the key; the Eucharist is part of the mystery. There is so much more contained in the Eucharist that we can possibly imagine. And the time for our thanksgiving after the Eucharist is so brief. I remember hearing it said that St. John Paul II would spend a long amount of time meditating after he receive the Eucharist at Mass. I think I can understand why.

And yet for us, the time is short and we are quickly distracted. Maybe because such knowledge is too high for me, so far beyond my reach. (Psalm 139:6)

And yet, let us reach out for it, always in humility and always in thanksgiving.

God bless you.

Process

God is always watching over us and protecting us, and arranging circumstances so that “all things work for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28) Sometimes as this process unfolds we go through periods of disruption, loss, sadness, frustration and injustice. I’ve seen it happen again and again in my own life as well in the lives of people I know.

I like to call it a “process” when this happens because, according to my dictionary, a process is (1) “a forward or onward movement, as to an objective or a goal, or (2) “a natural phenomenon marked by gradual changes that lead toward a particular result.”

Keeping this definition in mind may help us look at those dark periods in our lives in a way that makes sense out of them. The disappointment or even tragedy is part of a “forward or onward movement;” that is, it will not remain in the same unpleasant condition forever. Our suffering is leading somewhere. (Think of Christ on the cross as an example).

The second definition of process is even more hopeful. There is a result (or objective) to our difficulties, and this result is something that God has in mind as he is acting in our lives.

And so in those times of difficulty we are able to think that “this too shall pass,” and also that God is working things out that we don’t understand at present but which will be revealed in time. Sometimes it takes a long time; other times the whole process unfolds rather quickly.

I just saw it happen with one of my students. He lost X and was very upset. Just two weeks later, his life changed and he found himself enjoying Y and understanding that the things that caused the loss were necessary in order for him to be blessed by Y. (I hope this isn’t too vague for you, but I didn’t want to go in to telling the whole story.) And so X became a source of great blessing.

Has that happened in your life before? I know it has in mine. And if you’re going through a difficult time right now, remember that you are in a process that will ultimately lead towards a good. That’s how God arranges things in our lives, thanks be to God.

May he bless you always.