Greetings,
Friends.
Mark Gladman,
Also known as Brother Frederick James,
The Friendly Neighbourhood Monk-in-Docs,
Here with you for another of our Lenten Reflections,
As we move closer to Easter,
Reflecting on the I Am statements we find in the Gospel of John.
And as we commence today,
I invite you to,
As always,
Take a deep breath in,
And out,
To let everything within you,
And even without a view,
Come into that sense of peace in God's presence.
And with your eyes closed,
Picture yourself standing before Jesus as Martha did,
And hear his words,
I am the resurrection and the life.
Not just in the distant future,
Not just at the end of all things,
But now,
Here,
In this very breath.
Martha believed,
As we've seen in resurrection,
But she thought it was something that would happen someday in the future,
At the end of time.
But Jesus was speaking of a resurrection that was more immediate,
And more present.
It's not just about what comes after death,
Jesus wants us to know,
It's about life now,
It's about renewal,
It's about awakening,
And it's about the presence of God in this very moment.
So today,
I wonder,
Where do you sense Christ's presence in your life right now?
Is there a place or places where you sense that presence?
And think about what that presence is doing in your life,
In those places.
Is that presence bringing renewal?
Is that presence bringing healing?
Is that presence bringing new life and possibilities?
Is that presence bringing transformation?
What is that presence doing with you and within you?
Today,
We're called to notice and to be mindful of that presence of Christ each day of our lives,
Bringing resurrection life to us.
The presence of Christ in the moments of stillness.
The presence of Christ speaking through the kindness of another.
The presence of Christ moving in the quiet stirrings of your heart,
Inviting you into something new.
Today,
We're reminded that God is always present,
And therefore the divine is always at work with us and within us,
Even in sorrow,
Even in uncertainty,
And even in the ordinary.
I invite you for a moment to think about the seasons of your life.
There have been times of joy,
I'm sure,
Times where you felt fully alive,
Fully connected to God's presence.
And there's been times of difficulty and struggle,
Where you wondered where God was,
And if that presence was near to you at all.
Notice how it feels when you feel fully connected to God's presence in the times of joy.
Now,
While we should never let our feelings dictate the truth of what's going on,
I wonder,
Can you think of times in your struggles and doubts,
Where while in that moment you wondered where God was,
Looking back,
You can see or feel or experience where the divine was at work,
Right there in that moment,
Bringing resurrection life to you.
Because even in the silence,
Even in the waiting,
Even in the doubt and the struggle,
Somewhere,
God has been there.
Just give you a moment to reflect on those things.
I invite you to take a breath with me in,
And out.
I want you to know,
My friend,
That right now,
In that very breath,
The presence of Christ is with you.
No matter what's going on for you right now,
In that breath,
Just then,
The presence of Christ is still with you.
Right now,
This resurrection life is unfolding,
Maybe in ways that are too small for you to see,
And maybe in places that are just too deep to recognize it just yet.
But my friend,
This is what faith is.
This is what trust is.
To know that even if the ways that God is moving in your life right now are too small to see,
Or too deep to recognize,
That despite what we don't see,
Or what we don't recognize,
New life is here now.
I am the resurrection and the life.
Jesus,
We pray today,
Open our eyes to see your life unfolding around us.
Let us live in the resurrection of each and every moment.
Even in the dark places,
The difficult places,
Those places of silence and struggling,
Help us to trust that you are here always.
Amen.
My friend,
Never let the truth of this waver for one moment.
You are being made new.
You are being transformed,
And you are being drawn deeper into the life of God.
And as you go,
May that grace,
Peace,
Love,
And resurrection life fill you and be with you every step of the way.
Amen.
Peace be with you,
My friend.
Bye for now.
