A New Thing

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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Happy Easter! Christ is risen, alleluia!

On the Sunday prior to Holy Week, the word that stood out to me in Mass was from Isaiah 43:19:

“See, I am doing something new! Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? In the wilderness I make a way, in the wasteland, rivers.”

I was seated next to my husband, David, during the readings. As I rested my head against his shoulder, I cried copious tears as the words were proclaimed. For one, it was easier to concentrate on the readings because our daughters went to children’s liturgy. (I laughed aloud on the airplane as I wrote that sentence.) And for two, the reading from Isaiah brought up many memories from when we first moved to Phoenix.

I didn’t love the desert right away. The first summer that we lived in Phoenix, I remember crying as I looked out over the Valley on a return flight home. The terrain seemed plain, boring, ugly. I used to ask the Lord, “Can I go home now?” Consistently, the answer seemed to be, “I’m not going to take you out of the desert. But I’ll change the desert for you.”

So, at the end of this Lenten season, as I sat with my head against David’s shoulder, I cried with joy because the Lord has been true to his promise. One huge change that’s currently happening for us is that my closest sister in age is moving to Phoenix at the end of this month. She, her husband and their three young child, are coming to live near us!

I also mentioned in a recent post that I was going through some communication difficulties in one of my closest friendships. Although this friend lives out of town, the two of us had a wonderful and monumental phone conversation the other day. Have I mentioned that I like to talk on the phone while I go for a run?

Just as our talk (and my simultaneous run) was reaching a pinnacle, I came upon a gorgeous, flowering bush. The beauty of the flowers stopped me in my tracks. Every petal was illuminated with sunshine. And it seemed like another indication of the promise: God is doing something new. Soon I’ll see it springing forth as clearly as I could see the flowers in bloom.

What new blessings is the Lord calling forth in your life this Easter Season? Are you waiting for God-given desires to materialize? Perhaps we can take solace in the image of the Chosen People as they wandered in the desert for forty years. Can you imagine their feelings at the cusp of entering the Promised Land?

I’ll end with a line from St. Augustine. It’s one that gives me encouragement as I step into the new things that God has been preparing! “Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe.”

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