"Come! behold the deeds of the Lord, the astounding things he has done for us.”

Psalm 46:9

God is at work behind everything we see. The invisible is coming to us through the visible. The unseen is revealing himself through the seen. How do we come to behold God? PRAYER. Prayer allows us to behold who God is and how he is working for us.

When I am in prayer, often the Holy Spirit will teach me about God through images. One time while praying I had this image of walking down a dirt road. All I could really see was the dirt road because I had those blinders they put on horses so they will only look straight ahead and not be distracted by what may be happening on the periphery. I asked the spirit why I was being given the vision. The blinders blocked me from seeing and experiencing the boundless life of God in my midst. The only thing I was seeing was a long, dirty road in front of me. Unbeknownst to me, there were all kinds of great parties and celebrations on either side of me but the blinders were keeping me from seeing them and entering in. All I had was an endless, dirt road ahead. How would I get rid of the blinders, be able to see and enter into all the celebration of life I was blind to? PRAYER. Prayer would build my faith to see the source that causes us to celebrate the astounding gift of life.

It is amazing the things we humans go crazy over. Take sports for example. People yell and scream and jump up and down and do the wave over a game that offers some entertainment and stress relief but not too much else. Compare that with our spiritual lives or church services where we act like a bump on a log. Inspiring, huh? Maybe I should just get everyone dancing and singing and doing the wave in church some Sunday. Just what, exactly, is the psychology of people going crazy over a game which means little in the eternal scheme of things and acting like death warmed over when it comes to the limitless life of love and joy in God? We celebrate the wrong stuff.

Remember the image Jesus provided for us about the one, lost sheep. There is more joy in heaven than one repentant sinner than ninety-nine sinners who have no need of repentance. Talk about going crazy. Heaven goes crazy with celebration when a sinner comes back to God! It is astounding to be forgiven for sin and inherit eternal life. That is the party we need to celebrate. Of course, you know I can help you behold the most astounding celebration you will ever be a part of. You can come to me or your local priest and celebrate Jesus’ love for you. (Give me a call! I will hear your confession anytime!) There is no greater celebration known to humankind than forgiveness.

Let us pray: “Lord, I know that I can often celebrate the wrong stuff. I can get excited and go crazy over things that just are not that big of a deal in the eternal scheme of things. Remind me to celebrate the right stuff. Lord, when I pray to you please remove the blinders that keep me from the greatest celebration of all in life: forgiveness. Thank you for dying for me and forgiving me. May I always be astounded by your boundless embrace of me. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for loving and forgiving a sinner like me. I love you, Lord. Amen.”

God’s will!
+Fr. John