While students in grade school, we mastered the complexities of our Catholic faith, under Sister Basiliana’s guidance: like three persons, in one God. We asked, “Sister how does this work? Do they sit on each other’s lap? Are they all like Siamese twins? And other deep questions. Sister, unshaken by any and all responses, simply answered, “It’s a mystery” and added “when Father visits class on Friday he will explain it. “ When Friday came, we respectfully presented father our dilemma. “How is there three persons in one God?” we asked. And just as confidently as Sister’s reply Father answered, “It’s a mystery.” And that was that. Life and faith seemed very uncomplicated then But as our life goes on and “good things and ugly things happen” that simple answer, “it’s a mystery “ just doesn’t cut it for us. We need more to bolster our belief when we hit “rough spots” on the journey.
One way we can do this is to find how this mysterious Trinity, this God of mystery, actually does act and show his face in our lives. And this is in the realm of blessings. The curtain of mystery falls away when we see His love in action and how God’s love actually blesses. And then , we make time on our journey to “Hide in our Blessings” For in these hidden moments, our blessings shower away grim and show the glimpses of God’s abundant blessings.
In these few reflections I want to offer “blessing moments” we can all share, and hide away from the clatter of our lives. And in these quiet times become refreshed, renewed and reinvigorated.
1. Hide in the blessing of knowing we are created to be God’s companions!
God wants us near Him. A long time ago God built a garden for His companions God wanted to delight them with His generosity and gifts. It was a wonderful garden where God would come to be near his companions whenever He wanted.
However He saved a special part of the day. It was God’s favorite time when God walked with his companions, Adam and Even “in the cool of the evening.” God came to their space; their home rather than having them pursue Him. It was just a relaxing, comfortable time of sharing among friends. This was the first form of prayer.
And naked Adam and Eve were comfortable with who they were and what they were. They had nothing to hide. This was authenticity to the “nth” degree. Later when their sin broke off the intimacy of this relationship, God never walked away from wanting companions in His life. This is where we, you and me, enter into God’s long life. What a blessing we are to God. And He longs for us and he hopes we long for Him still. True our hearts are restless until we rest with Him, but true too God is restless waiting for us in a new “cool of the evening.”
Having such a God has to bathe us in feelings of awe, humility, transformation. It fills us with the warmest of blessings. Who could not hide in such a place?
Hide in the blessing of knowing you are created as God’s companion!
2. Hide in our past blessings to live a difficult present moment.
Salesian living loves the present moment. We see it as a “pearl of great price” and “who in finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.” One pearl of a moment is worth unearthing for all the treasure that is buried within. We are encouraged to extract the holiness it brings. One way we can help a difficult present moment be a pearl of great price is to use past blessings
We go back and select memories that infuse vigor, hope, and all the brightness we need. From these past blessings we take these next few steps of our journey more easily.
These happy past memories can be a delight even when we have them no longer. E.g. Christmas holidays as a child. Thanksgiving dinner with family gathered. Past birthday parties with singing and presents or faces and phrases of friends and relatives, they are all blessing moments . When recalled each infuses “happiness points” like a smile, which wipes away a tear or word remembered, they lift our head to help us move forward. These are all good blessings which see this moment as the “pearl’ it is.
God has blessed us then and God blesses us now with its memory. God takes care of and gives us what we need. I repeat again past blessings stay “good blessings” even though past. So I suggest Hide in our past blessings to live a difficult present moment!