Priest. Hermit. Aspie.
Advent is a season of disappointment. It reminds us of how disappointment is, necessarily, part of our human and our Christian experience.
Whoa.
“Okay, Father”, you may be thinking. “That’s not what my priest says! Advent is a season of hope and joy!”
And so it is.
Heather, a woman who had been searching for something to believe in for years, feels drawn at last to the Catholic faith. She becomes part of the RCIA process at the local parish. Having had little religious background or education, everything she sees and learns is new and exciting to her. Everything seems to confirm for her that God has indeed led her there. Her interest and excitement are easily seen by other parishioners. Some find it an inspiration and a challenge to their own life of faith. Others shrug it off with a bemused, “knowing” smile. “She’s new and naïve”, they say among themselves. “She’ll learn someday.” Continue reading “Trusting In The Word”
You find the sparrow that falls
When boughs break, to you she calls
With broken wing, still she sings
You find the sparrow that falls
– from The Language of Flowers, by Connie Dover
In my last episode, I spoke of how Thomas and the other disciples were able to meet the Risen Lord through his wounds. They had learned that they were far more vulnerable and wounded than they knew. The wounds of the Risen Lord gave them hope. Continue reading “From Shame To Joy: The Road to Emmaus”
Disappointment. It’s an experience as common as death and taxes. Who has not felt disappointed in someone or something? Who has not felt disappointed in our own selves at times? Is it possible to get through a week – or even a day – without feeling some form of disappointment? Where do all these disappointments come from?
At every stage of our lives – friendship, school, work, marriage, family, or parish, to name but a few – we bring certain hopes and expectations to the table. We have expectations as to what our role and contributions will be, and hopes and expectations as to what others who are involved will be and do. The more important something is to us, the more important it will be that our hopes and expectations are met. When they are not met, the more bitter our disappointment will feel. Continue reading “Disappointment and Renewal”