Greetings TSJ Friends!
As I write our weekly wisdom (with our muse, Solomon, sitting beside me) the sun has burst forth and the day has begun.
I have already whispered a prayer for all of us to find joy in our ordinary day especially for us ordinary people out here doing what we do. And I have added a request that God’s loving spirit will release us from our fears of failure and inadequacy. May we take a moment and allow that divine Love to wash over us and transform fears and worries into trust in God for strength in our work and hope in our future.
And I wish for all of us to freely express our love for God and each other by being ordinary people who are open to extraordinary moments.
Have you ever thought of yourself as ordinary? Probably. And necessary? Maybe… sort of… How about sufficient? Not likely.
Now I want to warn you that this is not written as a deep theological or a philosophical piece as both are “above my pay grade.” but I invite you to read this as a bit of a whimsical musing with a practical or ordinary type of wisdom tucked in. You see, I love thinking about Bible stories in an everyday, common-person sort of way, and I love thinking about nature similarly to get brief glimpses of great and useful spiritual truths. And I must admit writing these blogs scares me way down deep because I know you dear readers are more learned and wise than I. Whether that is the real truth or not does not seem to matter in my fearful psyche. Which brings me to the tidbit of wisdom I am about to share with you today.
This week’s WW all began a few days ago when I finally put together several necessary truths I was open to learning from the Shepherd of our souls here at TSJ. (And this is for all God’s peeps, not just Christians.) Here at TSJ we embrace anyone who loves God – the I AM of Love. And Solomon represents the fact that all of us need shepherding. Our minds alone are highways of disaster if not guided by road signs, speed signs, route signs and rest stops. Phew. Now that I got that out of the way here is what my spiritual ears have heard this week.
It started with a child. A boy child in this case. More distinctly it is about a boy child in a crowd of thousands. Unnoticed by most. Okay… it is about a child who happens to have been a boy who found himself in a crowd of thousands likely accompanied by his family and friends. So what is revealing about this? First of all, even in my senior years I find myself moved by children. I am so glad I am not one – at least physically.
But the thing that struck me deeply in reading a very familiar story in the Bible (you knew that was coming, right?) is the ordinariness of a child rather obscured in a crowd of adults intent on something. In this case the adults had come to hear a captivating teacher. Not just any teacher, as it turns out, but the Teacher. And that taps into another passion of mine. Teachers. All teachers.
So as is typical (in my experience) of God, when He wants to speak to me he uses ordinary people, places and things.
Yes, as part of our time of contemplations during this lenten season, John and I were reading together. This time we read from a book called: Jesus: A Pilgrimage by James Martin, SJ. It is a delightful book to read, easy to get wrapped up in it as it is a recording of his visit to the holy land. And being a Jesuit priest automatically puts him as a teacher to me. He knows the Bible in ways I never will. But I digress.
So John and I read his discussion of being in the place where Jesus had fed the multitudes. And part of that was of the time when thousands had been listening to Jesus all day and were clearly hungry and there was no McDonalds nearby for them to find refreshment. Yet Jesus insisted that they be fed by his team (disciples). The Jesus Team balked at it, fearful actually.
My reaction would have been and in fact is always… but how? The not enough theme runs rampant in my bones. Somehow I have absorbed the lie that says ordinary is not enough. It just doesn’t cut it in our culture.
But, oh how wonderful ordinary is in the hands of God and Jesus! Gulp Just saying that makes me get emotional.
Wait! We are also necessary in the hands of God too. Each one of us. We are not sufficient, however, without Him (meaning both male and female expressions of God).
So what about the boy child? He was an ordinary boy with an ordinary lunch that got handed over (not sure if he resisted) to the disciples and presented to the Teacher.
And you know the rest of the story. This ordinary, anonymous, and necessary child made all the difference. Jesus used his lunch. With His blessing, thousands were fed and we are inspired today.
You see, the little boy was Ordinary and Necessary. HIs being there with a lunch may have been rather ordinary. His handing it over was necessary for the demands of the occasion. It was needed in order to teach the world for generations to come that what we think is most important in life tends to be the opposite of the Spiritual Laws of the universe.
We are the child. We have been given a lunch (resources). And Love demands we share what we have in order to allow God to take our talents and multiply them as Jesus did the lunch of loaves and fishes. And there were leftovers. A lot of left overs.
Years ago a former client of mine, a priest, shared with me in what turned out to be her last Easter sermon before she died, her belief that the left over baskets represent the abundance of grace; so she titled her message “Left Over Grace.” I have never forgotten that.
God’s love is sufficient for a miracle to happen but God has designed it so we are necessary – ordinary maybe – but necessary for sure – to do His work of love and peace-building on earth.
Dear TSJ faithful readers, thank you for your love and encouragement. My lunch basket is open. I am humbly grateful to share it with you. And allow the Shepherd to multiply the love and collect enough “left over grace” for us to carry on anticipating and awaiting many extraordinary miracle moments in the hands of our Shepherd.
Gratefully and affectionately,
Margie and Solomon
