Daily Lectio, Saturday Evening, May 23

Today, a day of rest….and an awful cold.  So, rest is good…

And this evening, sitting and spending time reading the appointed psalms for this day, for my continued practice, looking toward my promises as a Camaldolese oblate.  I arrive at Psalm 42, one of my favorites.  But first, another wonderful pairing, with Psalm 41:

“Happy are those who consider the

poor;

the Lord delivers them in the

day of trouble.

The Lord protects them and keeps

them alive.” (NRSV)

Some translations call “the poor” the “weak.”  “Happy are those who consider the weak.”

We are called to reach out to the week, not in a position of strength, but in an awareness of our own need for support and protection.  As Thich Nhat Hanh reminds us so often, we only fully know ourselves when we realize our own interbeing.

And, we recognize the yearning that all of us have, this yearning for wholeness and peace, for fulfillment….for harmony and joy.  We truly are like deer…
“As a deer longs for flowing

streams,

so my soul thirsts for God,

for the living God.

When shall I come and behold

the face of God?

My tears have been my food

day and night,

while people say to me

continually

“Where is your God?” (NRSV)

Do we recognize our thirst?  More importantly than that, do we recognize the only thing that can fully quench our thirst?

Norman Fischer’s words are so spot on:

“As the hart thrills for the fresh brook

So do I thrill for you

I am thirsty for you–for my life–

When will I go there?

When will I be seen?

When will I enter your utter presence?”

I wonder….I wonder what it would be like if the Church “woke up,” fully, and sought to cultivate a space that delved into these deep waters, that offered a taste–invited a taste–of this live-giving water?

S+