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cwmatt
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Cardinal Suenens writes, “I like to compare our approach to God in faith to that of a traveler who, as he makes his way on a winter night, arrives by some detour at a lonely cottage, ablaze with lights shining through the windows. As he looks through the windows, he sees a fire with logs burning and crackling and sparks flying. He can imagine the warmth by the fireplace, but he cannot feel it as long as he stays outside, an onlooker, in the cold and wind. This is an image of the Christian who, in the darkness of faith, sees the light and warmth that is God. Still, though he may catch sight of the firelight and imagine its warmth, it has not penetrated to the very marrow of his bones. He has yet to go inside, not because he is worthy, but because God invites him: a God who gently presses the invitation, and longs to be one with him. God invites all of us to experience, even here below, the warmth of his love; he has made us just for that.”
I think of the woman with the hemorrhage who struggled for twelve years (Mark 5:25-29,34). “After long and painful treatment under various doctors, she had spent all she had without being any better for it, in fact, she was getting worse. She had heard about Jesus, and she came up behind him through the crowd and touched his cloak. ‘If I can touch even his clothes I shall be well again. And the source of the bleeding dried up instantly, and she felt in herself that she was cured. And Jesus said, ‘my daughter, your faith has restored you to health; go in peace.”
When we experience a period of darkness and everything seems hopeless–pain, despair, depression, and anxiety become like thorns in our heart, mind, and spirit. The brokenness that we feel seems more then any human being can bear. We become like wondering nomads lost in the desert. Gregory K. Popcak writes, "Imagine being outside on the coldest day of the year. The wind is whipping at your face, drying out your eyes and lips, and burning your nose. You can feel the pain of the damp cold in your fingers and toes, and your marvel at how you can actually feel the chill spreading through your body, as if your veins and arteries were carrying ice water to your extremities. Every part of you feels brittle. You wonder if you will ever get warm again. The world is a cold place, but God calls us to come in from the cold. He builds a fire for us, makes us a warm drink, and wraps us in the blanket of his perfect love, which casts out fears. Slowly you feel yourself absorbing the warmth. You can feel your body melting one layer at a time until the warmth has taken up residence inside every cell and the chill becomes a distant memory. Scripture shows us, no one who ever approached the Lord in faith left the experience unchanged.”
In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus tells us not to be afraid, but to hold our heads high, and to pray at all times with confidence. Let us seek hope for healing, stand up, walk, and live for this is the time to exercise faith and learn what it means to reach out and touch the hem of Jesus’ cloak.
I think of the woman with the hemorrhage who struggled for twelve years (Mark 5:25-29,34). “After long and painful treatment under various doctors, she had spent all she had without being any better for it, in fact, she was getting worse. She had heard about Jesus, and she came up behind him through the crowd and touched his cloak. ‘If I can touch even his clothes I shall be well again. And the source of the bleeding dried up instantly, and she felt in herself that she was cured. And Jesus said, ‘my daughter, your faith has restored you to health; go in peace.”
When we experience a period of darkness and everything seems hopeless–pain, despair, depression, and anxiety become like thorns in our heart, mind, and spirit. The brokenness that we feel seems more then any human being can bear. We become like wondering nomads lost in the desert. Gregory K. Popcak writes, "Imagine being outside on the coldest day of the year. The wind is whipping at your face, drying out your eyes and lips, and burning your nose. You can feel the pain of the damp cold in your fingers and toes, and your marvel at how you can actually feel the chill spreading through your body, as if your veins and arteries were carrying ice water to your extremities. Every part of you feels brittle. You wonder if you will ever get warm again. The world is a cold place, but God calls us to come in from the cold. He builds a fire for us, makes us a warm drink, and wraps us in the blanket of his perfect love, which casts out fears. Slowly you feel yourself absorbing the warmth. You can feel your body melting one layer at a time until the warmth has taken up residence inside every cell and the chill becomes a distant memory. Scripture shows us, no one who ever approached the Lord in faith left the experience unchanged.”
In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus tells us not to be afraid, but to hold our heads high, and to pray at all times with confidence. Let us seek hope for healing, stand up, walk, and live for this is the time to exercise faith and learn what it means to reach out and touch the hem of Jesus’ cloak.
