Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.
Luke 2:33-35
Jesus’ father and mother were amazed at what was said about him; and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted and you yourself a sword will pierce so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”
While I wish I could roll back to the clock to a time when many of us gathered around the table and broke open the word with each other while we broke bread together, we all have to recognize we have drifted far downstream from there. I suspect the time is coming when I won’t be able to join you regularly as I become more involved with the community here and we travel more. If this summer does not serve as a strong indicator of what is coming I would have to confess to not paying attention.
That being the case, I want to focus closely on what I am moved to share with you after a summer of prayer, reflection, and study. First, I want to share with you the process by which I enter into the reflections I have shared with you that you might be able to add them to your regular spiritual practice. Second, in the coming weeks, I want to share with you some lessons I am learning about listening to God.
Back to today. Rather than lay out the full process of the rough order of the steps I follow with some regularity in one big bite, I will share parts of the process with you over the next few weeks.
- Read. Read the text slowly several times. Often I will read it out loud a few times just to be sure the reading sinks into my consciousness.
- Analyze. Next, I will reflect on what the text is saying while trying to divert my opinion away from the review. Most of the time the gospel will very clearly tell us what we should do or not do in a given situation. What is the message being sent?
- Investigate. I will then look for the context of the passage. Where was He? Who was he talking to? What preceded and followed the chosen passage? How might the historical setting deflect us from the truth based upon what know today? If I was present at the time how would the experience affect me?
As I read and investigated the passage an image began to emerge in my mind and soon I could not think of anything else. This statue by Michelangelo is called the Pieta. Let’s use this photo of the statue to help us focus on the heart of the gospel.
4. Ponder. I will let the scripture roll around in my brain for a time. Usually, I will take time between steps 3 and 4 to let things percolate. Often time I will get several different impressions that when I consider them further turn out to be dead ends. Sometimes something never develops and I will just pull up some other reflection. It happens.
5. Focus. When an impression begins to develop like a photo I play with it and see how it intersects with my life and what I should learn from the picture revealed to me.
Release. When I have a more fully formed view of the message, I look at what the message means to me. There is always a lesson to embrace and from the emotions will follow. Gratitude. Commitment. Forgiveness. Inspiration. Love. Whatever the feeling, it reflects the grace of God and there is Joy that comes from the grace given and then shared.
The memorial the church recognizes today is the sorrow of our lady. The lesson is not just to remind us what Mary endure as the mother of Jesus to also recognize the suffering of others, other mothers, other parents, other human beings. Mary’s suffering grew out of the sorrowful death of a man who was also divine and so through her suffering, we are all saved. Mary would have us also look at others who suffer, all others, in fact, and not just a few. If we can somehow wrap around the suffering we all endure, our suffering will have a purpose if we give it back to God and share it with him. The consolation for Mary was the resurrection of Jesus and her life with him in eternity. Our consolation is our suffering will lead us to eternal if we have the faith to look beyond the present tribulations to life in the hereafter.
