WEek SEven of Ordinary time
by Blake Johnson
Hello!
Grace and peace to you presently and in whatever state. May Grace and Peace abound in this moment, in this place.
***
Sometimes I have to say these words slowly and intentionally to remind myself. I have to hear my breath and feel it pass through my nostrils to steady my hope in what can be an otherwise turbulent silence.
To be certain, “turbulence”, unsteadiness, conflict, confusion, is not silent in and of itself, but lately, I’ve found it has been in the rhythm of my breath that I’ve become aware of how the external has permeated the internal. How the circumstantial has made it hard for “peace & quiet” to simply be peaceful & quiet. When I hear myself breathe, I am better to remember grace and peace - both their mystery and their truth for me and for my neighbor.
Take a moment to steady yourself. To breathe. To hear the quiet.
***
Read Luke 11:1-10
Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples."
And he said to them, "When you pray, say:
"Father, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread,
and forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And lead us not into temptation."
And he said to them, "Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves, for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him'; and he will answer from within, 'Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything'? I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs. And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.
***
It’s the seventh week of ordinary time and things are perhaps starting to feel as “ordinary” as they’ve been since early March. I’m finding that many of the rhythms of work and life no longer feel new to me. I’m settling into globally unprecedented circumstances. While I think there is a lot to be said about contentment and slowness, I’m also troubled by a few questions: Have these patterns and habits become normal? Have I made the most of them? Have I grown complacent to them - impatient with boredom, isolation, and loneliness? Unattuned to injustice, inequity, and sickness? Addicted to divisiveness, narcissism, and worry?
Is this “ordinary” now? Is this “normal” now? Forgive the spiraling, but I think these are important questions to ask. Sometimes I need to quiet myself to ask them authentically. Sometimes I need to be reminded that asking is equally as important as knowing.
In my introspection it has helped me to remember the Lord’s Prayer.
Spend time with this prayer today and pray it slowly. Dissect what is familiar and “normal” about it and ask questions. Seek a quiet space in your own life and remember grace & peace both for you and for your neighbor.
Prayer:
Our Father - OUR father, your Father, my Father, The Creator of all peoples in all places, all identities, all races - you can feel so far from here, so “other”, so foreign, so mysterious & high above. Yet, you are holy, pure, righteous and without fault. Lord would you reveal yourself to us? Would you be in control? Would you guide us, direct us, show us the way - here, now, today - as you’ve intended and designed. As you are. Would you hear us, see us, provide for us, sustain us, & nourish us for this moment in this place and would you not leave us toiling for more? Lord, we long to be close to you. Would you draw us near and amend what we cannot. Would you forgive us, God? Would you save us? Could we, with divine grace and mercy, be helped to do the same among each other? Protect us from what seeks to separate us from you and from each other and have mercy on us when we choose to be divided. We cannot deliver ourselves. We are yours God. We will always be yours. Let it be so.