With the start of a new year, many of us think about the speed at which “time flies.” We often hear that events seem to move faster as we age because our memory banks are stuffed full of things rather than the much smaller bundles found in young brains. Simply because there is more to scroll through, time seems faster. Just weeks ago, many news programs and other sources provided their “year in review” or “remembering those we lost” type of programs, providing opportunities to riffle through our treasure troves of memory. As I was reflecting recently, I thought about how many of us experience disappointments or struggles that form less-than-positive memories. All of these occurrences bring me to the consideration that, as people of faith, we often have different understandings of why bad things happen to “good” people. We’ve talked about God “allowing” some of these negative things due to humanity’s free will rather than directly willing them into being himself. That understanding doesn’t, however, take away those bad memories or the fact that these events occurred in the first place! To counter that reality, many theologians and spiritual guides direct us to focus on gratitude and positivity instead of the negative. They draw us to a “glass half full” type of spirituality, where we recognize that God only wants good things for us and has given us so many blessings that our main task is to focus on the good in our memories and each day. We make that shift ourselves by remembering that Jesus taught us to refer to God as Father, and he used the word Abba, meaning “Daddy,” to convey the closeness and familial love that a loving, benevolent parent/child relationship provides. It is through Jesus that we learn God is Love. Sitting in the lap of my loving Abba, I can reshape my memories to see the good in them.
For example, I may not have had loving support from one or both of my biological parents, but I can choose to look for others in my life who provided it. When I lament that my living room walls need painting, I can turn that thought into gratitude for having a roof over my head. One key component is to be gentle with ourselves. We know it is okay to be disappointed or saddened by life, but Isaiah (Is 46:4) reminds us of God’s words: ‘Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.” In looking at the flip side of a situation, we can often recognize God’s presence and blessing, and even if we can’t quite do so, we can still bring that memory into our prayers. There, we can pray to have the ability to simply acknowledge that God was/is there, or in the case of pure evil, that he was present in the aftermath. Once there, beyond the acknowledgment of presence, we can pray to find specific examples of God’s presence and grace. Building this skill of spotting God’s presence may take a while to develop, but rest assured, the more we do it, the easier it is! Once recognized, knowledge of that presence can be very reassuring.
On another topic, I’ll be offering Dr. Brant Pitre’s “Lectio: The Case for Jesus: The Biblical and Historical Evidence for Christ” on Tuesday mornings at 9:30 AM, starting Jan. 16. Don’t let the thought of homework deter you! Contact me, the Formation department, or the parish office to register. The fee is $10 to cover the book and other materials—a real bargain.