Divine Mystery,
Today is much the same as
any another other day.
So why is today a day that the world
seems too heavy for me to hold?
Why is there an ache in my chest…
a shallowness to my breath?
Why does my heart flutter from feeling to feeling,
my mind race from thought to thought
like a bird trapped inside,
frantically trying to find its way back out to the sky?
Like Elijah,
I pull my cloak over my face,
stand at the mouth of the cave
and strain to hear
God’s whisper?
There are days when I stand firm in faith.
Days when I am able to hold
the world’s pain
and the world’s beauty
in a delicate balance.
Those days are like the beach at low tide,
with gently lapping waves
and stretches of soft sand to wander.
Today, it’s high tide.
The waves crash heavily.
They claw at the sand,
leaving behind tangles of seaweed
and the bones of bleached tree limbs.
Divine Mystery,
On days like this
how do I give
anyone who asks me
a reason for my hope?
Dearest Claire,
You need to come home to yourself.
Give your soul the care it needs right now.
You'll find home
wherever you feel secure and at peace.
Stay in that security
until the steadiness you find there
allows you once again
to trust in things of faith.
There are headaches and heartaches
for which there are no cures;
but your soul doesn’t need to be cured,
just properly cared for.
Go home.
Find those people,
places,
prayers,
and books
that caress your soul.
And remember Barbara Brown Taylor’s words:
“New life starts in the dark,
Whether it is a seed in the ground,
a baby in a womb,
or Jesus in the tomb,
it starts in the dark.”
You are simply living the Pascal Mystery,
my dear girl.
