The famous Shroud of Turin has always amazed me. It has long been believed to be the burial cloth of Jesus Christ. Tonight I saw a video that introduced a new “hyper realistic” model of the man who was wrapped in the Shroud. The figure was made in great detail and awesome to see. The thought that viewing it you may actually be seeing the figure of Christ was profound and intense.
I Found God today in a model of the figure of Christ.
As I celebrated Easter, I found myself very grateful. I was grateful to be able to go to Mass with my mom and sister. There were some people there I recognized, but many I did not. I had been waiting to sing, “Jesus Christ is Risen Today”, and it was the entrance hymn. The singing and vocal responses during Mass were vibrant and I loved praying with the community. The homily focused on the fact that Jesus Christ raised from the dead and that we may be with Him and our loved ones forever. As I really thought about this, I was humbled and grateful that God would go through such measures for us who are so fickle. When it came time for Holy Communion, I noticed many people got up and left. Of course, I do not know the reason for that. Perhaps some people felt disconnected from the Church, or misunderstood the Eucharist. I almost wanted to jump up and say, “Wait! The best part is coming!”, but I prayed instead. When we got home, my mom took a good nap before people came over for dinner. My sister and I made veggies and sides and my son smoked a ham. It was delicious and I was grateful that he had offered to do that. While people were over, we Zoomed with the rest of the family. Seeing everyone was wonderful and I still appreciate the technology to do so. I also appreciated that I could touch base with far away friends. My mom had a great day and I was mostly grateful that she felt well enough to participate in and enjoy the busy day.
I Found God today being grateful on Easter.
On this Good Friday, my mom was all tuckered out from attending Mass last night, so we didn’t make it to church. However, we read through the scriptures and prayers together. We also watched the Stations of the Cross on EWTN. It took place in the Colosseum in Rome. The scene was beautiful and somber at the same time. At each station, a true story was read about a young person caught in the turmoil of war and violence of some kind. They were stories that Pope Francis heard personally as he visited different areas around the globe. Many included accounts of forgiveness and working to build peace. They were powerful witnesses. It really made me think about the end result of war and violence and what a person or group might be trying to accomplish. I’m sure much has to do with power. The reality is that it ends with death. Whatever may happen for good or bad, people die – the leaders die at some point, and pain and destruction are left behind. But, peace can also flourish. Many of those in the stories were determined not to allow their pain to be a catalyst for more violence, but for peaceful cooperation instead. Some spoke of uniting their suffering to that of Jesus. I marveled at that kind of faith.
I Found God today in heartfelt, faith filled stories of young people caught in violence.
I had very strong unexpected spiritual connections today. First, I met a friend for lunch. She is a caregiver also and a very faithful woman. We prayed together at the restaurant and had beautiful conversation as we usually do. She noted that the relationship with another faithful person is something special – that you understand each other on a different level. I agreed. Then I visited a friend in my prayer group who found he has cancer and – according to the doctors – just a few months to live. He opted out of the chemo treatment as they said it may extend his life for only a few additional months. I brought him some Lourdes holy water and we talked. I hugged his wife while she cried. She said she was getting her strength from him. He is very accepting, at peace, and ready to be with God. In the evening, my mom wanted to go to the Holy Thursday Mass. She hasn’t been in years. I knew it would be well attended and when we arrived, the parking lot was pretty full. I drove around to the handicapped parking places and told my mom I didn’t think there would be an empty … Before I could finish, I spotted the one empty space waiting for us. During the celebration, the priest washes the feet of 12 people, reenacting Jesus’ example of serving others. Tonight our priest washed the feet of 12 children. That was new to me, but it was beautiful. I thought about the people I was with today and how each of them is a servant in their own way – caregiving, sharing their faith, praying with and for others. And I prayed for myself too; that I may have the strength, fortitude, and whatever else I need to be of joyful service. Much to my surprise, my mom made it through the whole Mass. She was so happy she went.
I Found God today in spiritual connections.
My mom spotted a small package that had been delivered on the porch this evening. It was a box for her from her sister. Mom thought that it might be chocolate. She opened the box and sure enough, it was a festive bag of chocolate covered cherries – one of her favorites. It was a sweet surprise.
I Found God today in a thoughtful surprise that made my mom happy.
Today I saw an amazing story about a pastor and former police officer who stopped some criminals by praying for them. One day, some young men entered the church during a service. As the pastor was preaching, he noticed they were carrying guns. He secretly alerted his team who locked the doors and called the police. As they waited, the pastor prayed for the young men, while keenly letting them know that he knew what they were up to. Some of the congregation knew what was happening, others did not. Eventually the police arrived and the young men were arrested. Evidently they had been involved in an armed robbery not too long before they walked into the church. The pastor felt like they were sent to his church for a reason. They were met with prayer and honesty, and he believes they will never be the same. It was a great story of love, grace, and the movement of God.
I Found God today in a pastor led by the Holy Spirit to prevent tragedy.
When my mom’s friend comes over, we usually talk about religion and politics. Today we talked about the big question as to why some who were raised in the faith and/or practiced regularly stopped somewhere along the way and no longer go to church. We talked about several reasons why this might be – a lack of faith, misunderstanding of the beliefs and teachings, anger at the church or God, being drawn further into the culture of the current world. I feel it truly has everything to do with an individual’s personal relationship with God. A while back I saw a demonstration in which the presenter had a very long white rope. It wound all around the stage and eventually one end went out of sight. He held in his hand the other end of the rope which had a red tip about 6 inches long. He suggested that unfortunately, too many people focus on their lives in this world represented by the red tip. We forget that this life on this earth is only part of our existence. Once we die, we will live on in eternity represented by the rest of the white rope. What’s more, we can work like crazy for the first 5 inches of the red tip, determined to enjoy the last 1 inch of our lives, forgetting about the rest of the rope. Instead, we would do better if we recognized and remembered that our lives here are short and they should be spent working to enjoy eternity. And they way to do that is to nurture and grow in our relationship with God. I though it was a meaningful visual demonstration.
I Found God today remembering to try to live past the red tip of my life.
Our neighbors invited us over for lunch today. They are such kind, generous people and we enjoy getting together with them. They have family in the area, but not too close by. During the course of our conversation, they said they had wanted to get together with their family, but things didn’t work out. Then they thought, “There is family right next door,” and said how we do feel like family to them. We said the feeling was mutual. We have truly been blessed to have them as our “roofmates”.
I Found God today in friends that feel like family.
Palm Sunday weekend means getting ready for Easter. For years at our house that has meant candy making weekend, so today we started the process. This afternoon my son, his wife and kids came over to get in on the fun. And fun it was. My sister was the chocolatier extraordinare and tempered all the chocolate perfectly. My daughter in law mixed up the peanut butter and coconut filling and we made the egg shaped mounds to go into the chocolate molds. My older grandson’s had ideas of their own for their creations and we were happy to indulge. My granddaughter sat with my mom for a long time as my mom taught her the solitaire game on her iPad. Then she came and added sprinkles to the big egg molds before filling them with white chocolate. In the evening my other son came over with his girlfriend. They visited the rest of the clan for a while before the grandkids had to head home. They tagged in and we started the second shift which included a lot of finishing and wrapping. When all was done, the kitchen was a disaster with chocolate in every nook and cranny. But no matter, it was a day of great fun and many goodies to share.
I Found God today in a fun day making candy with family.
There are things I do and think that are not at all positive or life-giving. I feel like I try so hard to change them to no avail. I pray and pray that God would change them. I’m sure He wants me to be a better person, so why doesn’t He just fix me? The whole thing can be incredibly frustrating and I can feel like I’m failing. This morning in prayer, I had a thought. Of course God knows my struggles. But instead of being in a constant state of tug of war with myself, I should simply give it to God. Give Him my thoughts, both good and bad. Give Him my actions and reactions, no matter what they are. Give them to God and allow Him to fight my inner battle. I tried to do this during the day, and it was effective in the moment. It reminded me of Exodus 14:14, “The Lord will fight for you, you need only to keep still.” I need to practice more surrendering by keeping still. My hope is that as I do, God will in fact have the victory.
I Found God today giving up to Him.
Still Finding God 