A Word Worth Repeating

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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This is a first!

This “Word for the Week” practice began when I was 17 years old. The pastor of our parish at the time, Fr. Jim Chelich, recommended it. He’s the one who first invited me (via his homily to the congregation) to ask the Lord for a “word” during Sunday liturgy. And then, in turn, to carry that word with me for the week. To ask God, “What do you want me to do about this word?”

Well, it’s been around 17 years since then. Which means, I’ve been carrying out this prayer practice for more than half of my life! Wow. Praise God.

But this week, on the Solemnity of Pentecost, I experienced for the first time that the Word for the Week was the very same from one week to the next.

“Come.”

Two Sundays back, I was playing for Mass at one of our local parishes. I’m looking back over the readings for that week, and I can’t really identify where that imperative showed up. Maybe it was actually in one of the prayers or the songs. Either way, it was definitely the Word that stayed with me. I remember distinctly, because right after Mass, I saw my little nephew.

He locked eyes with me from across the outdoor piazza. And then, with a huge smile, he ran straight into my arms. What a delight to pick him up and to laugh for joy. Later, as I asked the Lord, “What do you want me to do about this word?” the image of my nephew came back to me. I felt like God was inviting me to run back into His arms in that same confident, excited manner.

Then, last Sunday I attended Mass in Tempe, AZ at the Arizona State University campus parish. 10-year-old Chiara came with me. I wasn’t leading this time, but sitting in the pew with her. “Come Holy Spirit,” was a chorus that resounded again and again throughout the liturgy. And again, the word “come” resonated in my heart.

This week, as I ask the Lord what He wants me to do about that word, I’ve felt convicted that the Holy Spirit rushes to me, too! In other words, the exuberance of my little nephew was an image of how I’m called to run to the Lord. But it can also serve as a sign of how the Lord runs to me.

Remember the parable of the Prodigal Son from the Gospel of Luke? When the Father sees his son from a distance, he runs to greet him. When I was searching for this text, I came across this beautiful article from Biola Christian University. The author, Matthew Williams, explains how it was uncommon for a grown man to run in first century, Middle Eastern culture.

Not only was it uncommon, but it was an embarrassment, a disgrace. And yet, the father runs to his son. Is there an aspect of your life that evokes shame or remorse? If so, let’s ask the Holy Spirit to help us cast aside our embarrassment or our social constructs, and open our arms to God’s embrace. He wants to meet us right there in our fear and shame, to bring us home.

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