Stay on the Trail
God likes to speak very explicitly to me!
Welcome to Word for the Week, the series in which I:
share my experience of hearing God’s Word in Mass last weekend,
explore what I believe the Lord is calling me to do about that Word, and
ask how this Word might impact your life, as well.
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Two weeks ago, my Word for the Week was “patience.” In the ensuing days, I had a very full workweek of filming for our upcoming podcast. Midweek, I went up to Sedona, AZ for a hiking retreat. Along the trail, I saw a sign that said:
“HEALING IN PROGRESS -Please stay on trail- Thank you”
This is how God speaks to me: through specific words and symbols. The words were quite distinct. And the symbolism of being on a quite challenging climb was too obvious to miss.
There has been a lot of healing in progress in my heart, mind, and body already this Lent. Of note, we’ve started to meet new friends from our neighborhood and our parish. It’s healing to share food and laughter and to remember that this current season of cultural isolation will not last forever! But it certainly requires patience from me, because I do not feel settled in our new community yet. And I really, really miss touring.
This past Sunday, the Word that stood out was:
“...he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone, except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead.” - Mark 9:9
That secrecy theme runs strong in the Gospel of Mark. Secrecy is a promising message for me! Like the theme of my Christmas album, “Secretos Navideños,” I think of God’s secrets as the beautiful messages that He shares with us in the stillness. They’re destined to be shared!
Right now, I’m starting to see some fruit of this past year of world-wide struggle. I’m realizing how God is tying the pieces together for my family. It’s not quite time to describe it publicly yet.
My Word for the Week over the past two Sundays has reassured me that: A) God is giving me the precious gift of time, and B) I’ll be ready to witness when the time is right.
In the meantime, is God pointing out any new healing in your life? Are you able to see the healing in your own heart or in the hearts of those you love? Even though the sign post on the Sedona trail was referring to regrowth in the mountainous terrain, I believe there is also healing happening on a massive scale in the Church throughout the World.
Are you able to speak to the healing that’s in progress right now? If not, maybe we’re in good company with the Apostles who saw a glimpse of Jesus’ full splendor on the mountaintop. They didn’t know how to respond! They were overwhelmed! So Jesus advised them to not talk about it until they could see more of the picture.
As we approach a full year since the COVID19 pandemic began in full force in the United States, perhaps we’re almost ready to proclaim the healing that has happened in our communities and in our own hearts. Maybe we, like the Apostles, are about to receive even more healing just a bit further ahead on our path.
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