Today, my wife Ann and I were sitting on the patio eating our lunch. Our weather has been beautiful the last few days with temperatures in the 90’s and generally clear blue skies. Summer has finally arrived. Thankfully we have not experienced the severe heat and weather taken place in other parts of the United States and the world.
We are busy preparing for a short trip to the Oregon Coast. Ann is making sure the house is in order and the plants watered. I am cleaning up my den of inequity. Think of Dante’s inferno or the living room in the Sanford and Son 1970’s TV comedy. Our St. Juan Diego parish picnic is taking place on September 11, and I have been working on getting materials ready before we leave. I have been up early formatting brochures and flyers and dropping them off at the printer. When I mean early, I mean early like before 5:00 am.
Looking up to the sky, I realized that Jesus when he was here on Earth was in one place at a time. He was present with those he was physically with. There was no co-locating for Jesus, though He could have if He wanted to. When His friend Lazarus died, Jesus stayed on where He was for two more days according to John 11:6. Eventually, Jesus did arrive but only after Lazarus had been in the tomb four days John 11:17. Lazarus was raised from the dead from where he was in the tomb. “Untie him”, Jesus told them, “and let him go free” John 11: 44. This is a dramatic example of Jesus healing where the person was. Let us pray, that we remember that our most important work is where we are and who we are with at the present moment.
Finally, Jesus did take time to go to the mountain to pray and go to the beach. That is what Ann and I will be doing for the next few days!
In Christ and Peace,
John