Gail and Marilyn, who belong to our morning Bible study, are preparing to celebrate their 50th Wedding Anniversary in May. As part of the getting ready, they have been going through photo albums from their married life, picking photos for a slide presentation to be shown during the festivities. Last week, Marilyn shared with us what an awesome experience it has been to walk prayerfully through their history, and see the many ways that God has been present and blessed them.
One of the overwhelming realizations that they came to, and subsequently shared with us, was how God always seemed to be present, supporting them and guiding them, in the struggles and difficulties of their life together. That supportive presence was manifested most often and most consistently through whatever faith community they were a part of at the time. It might have been Christian Family Movement, Cursillo, Marriage Encounter, Charismatic Movement, or any number of other Catholic faith communities.
At this particular point in their faith journey, our morning Bible study is serving in that capacity of supportive and guiding faith community. For the last three years we have been sharing our faith as we reflect on and study the Bible. Their realization is that God has never left them without a faith community. At the same time, they have no idea where their life would be today were it not for the ever-present community of faith surrounding and carrying them along.
As they were sharing their insights and their gratitude for God's loving hand in their sacred history, I was struck with the importance of each one of us taking time to reflect on our own sacred history. From time to time, how encouraging and edifying it could be for us if we would spend time tracing the loving hand of God in our own lives. For it is a fact, God has always been with us. If we are not aware of God's presence, it is only because we have not taken the opportunity to peel back the top layer of our story and discover the underlying hand of God. We don't have to wait for a special occasion, like a 50th anniversary. We can do it today.
One of the overwhelming realizations that they came to, and subsequently shared with us, was how God always seemed to be present, supporting them and guiding them, in the struggles and difficulties of their life together. That supportive presence was manifested most often and most consistently through whatever faith community they were a part of at the time. It might have been Christian Family Movement, Cursillo, Marriage Encounter, Charismatic Movement, or any number of other Catholic faith communities.
At this particular point in their faith journey, our morning Bible study is serving in that capacity of supportive and guiding faith community. For the last three years we have been sharing our faith as we reflect on and study the Bible. Their realization is that God has never left them without a faith community. At the same time, they have no idea where their life would be today were it not for the ever-present community of faith surrounding and carrying them along.
As they were sharing their insights and their gratitude for God's loving hand in their sacred history, I was struck with the importance of each one of us taking time to reflect on our own sacred history. From time to time, how encouraging and edifying it could be for us if we would spend time tracing the loving hand of God in our own lives. For it is a fact, God has always been with us. If we are not aware of God's presence, it is only because we have not taken the opportunity to peel back the top layer of our story and discover the underlying hand of God. We don't have to wait for a special occasion, like a 50th anniversary. We can do it today.
Gail and Marilyn truly are a God send to Ron and I just as are John and Clar and Greg and Teri who have also been part of our morning faith sharing group. It is so plain to see how God gifts us all with others who manifest His Love and Goodness to us. We learn from one another and I believe that St Teresa of Avila was right on target when she wrote: Christ has no body now on earth but yours. No hands but yours. No feet but yours. Yours are the eyes through which Christ's compassion is to look out to the world. Yours are the feet with which Christ is to go about doing good. Yours are the hands with which Christ is to bless all people now. May we reflect on those people who are instruments and have been in our journey here as we make our way to Everlasting Life.
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ReplyDeleteThank You Ron for your reflection today-so very much to be grateful for from an Awesome Awesome God. God has been present to us through each person who invited, sometimes poked and prodded us to keep going in our Faith walk.As I reflect on these people as I SEE them in pictures I've decided to create a Memory Wall and post their pictures on it. Sometime this next year I will send their picture and a letter telling them about the gift he or she has been in our lives. I am reminded of a song played at our 25 Wedding Mass " I want to say something to each of you who have become a part of the fabric of our life....The color and texture which you have brought into our being have become a song, and I want to sing your son forever(in my heart). There is an energy in us which makes things happen when the paths of other persons touch ours and we have to be there and let it happen (and we did with you) When the time of our particular sunset comes, our thing ,our accomplishment wouldn't really matter a great deal. But the clarity and care with which we have loved others will speak with vitality of the GREAT GIFT of LIFE you have been for us.
ReplyDeleteMarilyn is part of the fulfillment of a vision that our son, Clay, saw in 1989 when Beulah was just a vision in his and Annette's minds. Clay saw a group of ladies working in a large kitchen canning something. Marilyn has initiated and coordinated an annual applesauce and apple butter canning at Beulah. I see this as a fulfullment of what Clay saw long before we even knew that Marilyn existed as a human being. This is testimony and proof of God's hand on her life.
ReplyDeleteJerry Jackson, Founder/President
Hosanna/FCBH, Albuquerque, NM