Pastoral Message – January 7, 2024
Hey Y’all,
It’s Epiphany! So let me pose a question and set up a scenario for your consideration.
This question will separate the adventurous from the more risk-adverse amongst us. How much would you enjoy a road trip that has an unknown destination? Now take into consideration that you would be roughing it. You’ll either be camping out in the fullness of nature, or relying on the hospitality of the people you encounter to take you in. Thus, you’ll be meeting people who might be hospitable or cut-throats, depending on how soundly you sleep. You might bring some limited provisions from home, but after a week or so, you’ll have to rely on the game you can hunt, and the foodstuffs and water you can buy from the locals. Plus, you’ll travel through tribal lands where you don’t know the customs, cuisine, language, or laws of the locals. Oh, one more thing, your mode of transportation will be your own foot power, or possibly some animal power – likely some mules or dromedaries as pack animals, and maybe a horse to ride, that is if your going 1st class. And speaking of 1st class, you’ve got some valuables with you that you need to protect. Oh, and your own upbringing, education, religion, language, skin-tone, clothes, and curiosity do make you stand out from the local hoi polloi. You exude a certain privilege and all who see you recognize it. So you’re a foreigner, in a strange new land, looking for what you sort of think you know, but without knowing where it is and what it looks like. And you’re at the mercy of the natives. But you still have a profound longing to make this trip. So with all the above to consider, would you hit the road Jack?
Well, I don’t think anybody in their complacent, or cynical, or fearful, or unexamined right minds would set out on such a quest. By anybody’s estimation it’s a fool’s errand really. Except for these important considerations. The hopeful aren’t complacent or cynical. The faithful aren’t afraid nor do they live unexamined lives. And those who are on a God-quest aren’t the fools the world thinks them to be. They really are wisemen and wisewomen.
The original wisemen, were given the grace to make an amazing journey to fulfill prophecy. Those who are wise today, seeking God, are still given the grace to journey through all the perils and dangers that life’s barren, desolate, and dark wilderness brings on. There are no obstacles to God’s grace except our own complacency, cynicism, fear, and ignorance. And here’s the confounding irony – if we are able to get over our own need to control, then we’ll never need to be risk-adverse because we’ll be living completely by faith, hope and ultimately, love. We’ll be fulfilling prophecy. The prophecy of God’s love that was given by the gift of our lives and the potential of our very being as God’s pilgrim people.
So this week, and continuing on into this Year of our Lord, 2024, let’s road-trip with our God – Father, Son and Spirit. And even if we’re not sure where we’re going, no worries, God’s got us, leading us as his wise, pilgrim people!
Blessings!
Fr. Reynold
