Thursday, December 16, 2021
Isaiah 54:1-10;
Psalm 30;
Luke 7:19-23
Opening to the Blessing of Impermanence
“The Only Constant in Life Is Change”- Heraclitus. This truth speaks to humanity through the ages. Existence is inherently uncertain, and our response impacts our ability to live and love fully. The readings today use images that spoke to the people of Israel, its anguish and tragedy, and how God turns lives towards abundance, joy, release, and restoration. A promise is kept even in the hardest of times.
No one has been unaffected by death, sickness, fear, and isolation during the pandemic, but we have also seen the basic goodness of humanity towards one another. We are called to live each day trusting that God who met us in the past, will greet us with arms wide open in the future. Pray not in the minute details of our daily existence, but in the potential that exists infinitely in each situation and expectation of the work that God has done, can and will do. God is not merely at our fingertips, but within our grasp. Seize every opportunity for encounter, not passively, but actively pursuing and allowing ourselves to be pursued. We are asked to have a genuine dependence on God, listening and responding with joy, intensity, and openness in prayer, in life and in our devotion. Only then can we hope to transcend the pain of change, towards a freedom of trusting in God with our whole heart and being. Pray to be surprised by God.
Sr. Kathryn Tulip, SSJD
