a reflection from my archives
May 13, 2021 (original date May 13, 2015)
The Memorial of Our Lady of Fatima
Welcome, God and All...
For seven years now, when I enter cyberspace (and in particular, Facebook) each morning one of the first things I do is to acknowledge God's presence. After all, aren't we as Christians supposed to believe and acknowledge that He is everywhere? On some days, I have something on my mind that's come directly from the spirit within me. Those I consider 'original'. Other days, I look to other sources for inspiration. They can be graphics shared by others, Bible verses, even music clips from You Tube. These are prefaced with a simple "Good Morning, God..." and I am then about other tasks. This is not a unique thing - I mean, I am not the only holy fool who throws thoughts, sentiments, and devotion into something short enough to satisfy Twitter (even though I do not use that particular service) and share it across a social media website. Some days I may see a handful of 'likes' and even a comment or two. It's nice to know others are reading these, but I'm not doing this for personal praise or attention. Other days go by with no reaction at all. I'm not a celebrity, world or local leader; and everyone I know has busy lives to live.
So I was a little surprised to see a comment with a question mark after a post one morning in which I shared a verse from Saint Paul; specifically Romans 15:4, in which he states that everything written in the past (here he's talking about the Old Testament and other related texts) was done to teach us in the present, and that through strength and encouragement taught in these words, we might have hope. Hope is something I want to bank as much as possible. In 2014, I lost my main source of employment, my wife, and my mother; all in the span of five weeks. I became a widower at 59 years of age, caring for an autistic adult son; without a lot in the way of tangible resources to sustain us for the long haul.
The question: Why do I talk to God via social media? Why not do this in private prayer?
It is a good question. After all, in Matthew 6:6 Jesus teaches that when we pray, we should "go to our inner room, close the door, and pray to our Father in secret." This in turn is followed by Jesus giving us His own words - the Lord's Prayer. Yet in the previous chapter, Jesus also says that we are the 'light of the world' and that nobody lights a lamp and puts it under a bushel basket, but rather on a lampstand where its light shines for everyone (cf. Matt 5:14-15). Honestly, this means there is space for both intimate dialogue with God and public displays of affection. Several feeds to which I subscribe like to quote Matthew 10:32-33. Those two verses exhort us to acknowledge Jesus Christ before others; denying Him before others will result in being denied before God. This flows further from verse 27 of the same chapter; what Jesus says in private, proclaim in public. This is my public proclamation.
I started posting these prayers daily initially as a form of spiritual therapy. Because of my losses, I had to hold on to hope. Hope that I could overcome grief. Hope that I could discern where God is leading me next, and the tremendous changes I am undergoing. Hope that I will not lose sight of what is truly important. Hope that I will allow God to lift me and my son up to the next level. All this in a world where self-centered indifference to God has become very much apparent. Once I started I knew I didn't want to stop. It came to me that, while sorting out what I should do next, I should take up the vocation of prayer, public as well as private. The pay is lousy but the benefits are out of this world!
I'm no scholar; no expert on coping with grief. I won't win any literary awards and I'm certainly not vying for the Nobel Peace Prize. Still, I will offer praise to God daily, in a modest public display of affection. Whenever I see a 'like' or comment, I lift up those friends in prayer as well. I don't have to know anything else. You see, I firmly believe that there's nobody - absolutely nobody - that isn't in need of prayer for someone or something. We're supposed to love our enemies and pray for our persecutors. As 'light of the world' we're called to be light-bearers, witnesses alive by and for the mercy and love of Christ. No doubt there will be great temptation and pressure to do otherwise. But if that tide can be withstood, even turned, so that more are earnest in prayer and publicly united in Christ, the foundation laid by Jesus is built up and the fog we walk in clears, the crooked ways are made straight, and the rough places made plain.
(c) 2015 Robert P. Balsamo
No comments:
Post a Comment