Finding God In Good & Dreadful Things : stay awake
Wars in the Middle East, Africa and Asis, mass firings, government agency destruction, humanitarian aid disruption or a malicious attack by hackers cannot and will not prevail against God. This is our faith and this is our hope because as people who choose to live by faith, we consent to experience all of life, the good, bad and abhorrent, trusting that God is in all of it with us. But to do so we must stay awake.
One of the especially delightful moments of my priestly ministry is witnessing the transfigured face of a groom as he watches his bride walking up the aisle toward him. Love stretches his spine and radiates from his face. In that holy moment I behold the groom’s glory and feel like I am given a glimpse of James and John and Peter’s glowing mountaintop experience with Jesus. (See below Luke 9:28–36)
But today, with war in Ukraine as well as the Middle East, Africa and Asia, and the balance of global powers hanging by a thread, today we are chilled to the bone and the image of a transfigured groom beaming at his bride or even a mountaintop moment with Jesus in the company of Moses and Elijah seems remote, if not irrelevant. But, is it?
Is it not our faith that hidden in the cleft of every brutal breech and war torn wound is the Presence of that which can never be ravished or ruined? Is it not our hope that Jesus’ promise “I am with you always, even to the end of the world,” (Matt 28.20) is trustworthy and true? Do we choose to plant our feet in the sure and certain love that St. Paul proclaims to the Romans as they suffer in their present time? “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God? (Romans 8.38–39)
Do we choose to live by faith, with hope in love regardless of our circumstance? Or, do we cringe, crumble, cower and fall asleep in fear?
When we stop to think about it, again and again we are surprised by glimpses of glowing mountain top moments — sometimes in likely places; weddings and friendships, worship and music, talent and triumph, lovely walks and sunrise moments, but also in more difficult moments; the innocent laugh of a disabled child, the timely call from a concerned friend, beyond the call of duty care by medical personnel, moments of mercy and unearned favor in the see through eyes of a dying elder.
When we stay awake and really pay attention, even in the midst of anger, distress or tragedy a jewel of light often bursts through. I was visiting an eighty year old woman, Irene. Her hands were trembling as cold consumed her from the inside out. Irene had spent hours trying to recover from a computer hack that invaded her contact list and sent messages to all of her family, friends and piano students requesting financial assistance in her name.
So Irene and I began to breathe together. We spent a fair amount of time slowly breathing in, breathing out, to restore a modicum of peace, peace that is more than the absence of the disruptive invasion by a hacker, peace that is more than quelling Irene’s tumbling emotions, deep trustworthy peace that prevails over evil. Irene kept breathing into her anger and distress until tears carried these words from her heart to her lips. “All of the people, all of the people who received that evil email love me. They received the hacker’s message and keep calling and coming and buying gift cards to help me. I had no idea how much I am loved.” Irene was transfigured by love found in the depth of the wound inflicted by malevolent hackers. This is finding God in all things. And this is what we all must do today and every day. Breathe into whatever troubles us. Stay awake and ready to be surprised by God.
Wars in the Middle East, Africa and Asis, mass firings, government agency destruction, humanitarian aid interruption or a malicious attack by hackers cannot and will not prevail against God. This is our faith and this is our hope because we are people who live in faith, not fear. As people who choose to live by faith, we consent to experience all of life, the good, bad and abhorrent, trusting that God is in all of it with us. But to do so we must stay awake.
If we are to experience every daybreak as well as every dreaded disaster as an opportunity to experience God with us, we cannot be unconscious. We must stay awake. In Luke’s text, “Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw (Jesus’) glory and (Moses and Elijah) who stood with him.” The three disciples experience the radiance of Divine Presence because they stay awake.
Here is the thing. We dare not allow ourselves to be weighed down by threats of national and global disruption. We cannot be distracted by breaking news images and video clips meant to incite us or by anger mongering words that trip us into fear and seduce us into the sleep of unconscious reaction. God is always and everywhere active in our world and in our lives but we must stay awake to experience God’s presence.
Living our lives with the intention to stay awake and find God in all things, like Peter, James and John we experience what theologians call a theophany. A theophany is an unmistakeable personal encounter with Divine Presence, nothing more and nothing less than the manifestation of glory in the face of a groom watching his bride walking toward him or the tears of a woman who had no idea how much she is loved until she is callously exploited, or three disciples witnessing their friend Jesus’ Divine Presence.
We are standing on a razor’s edge of choice. Do we choose to capitulate to evil, react to every breaking news bite and live in fear? Or do we choose to live by faith with hope in love? Let me suggest that if we choose the latter, we must do whatever we do deliberately, mindfully, with our full attention and our purest intention. Rather than muddle through each day slipping from routine to habit to unconscious reaction to whatever seems to be erupting, let our intention be to stay awake and recognize the radiant light of Divine Presence in every good and dreadful moment. We must stay awake.
Thank you for reading these words, created by grace and the grit of a real human being. Debra Asis
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Running The Race : keeping the faith
Luke 9:28–36 Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah” — not knowing what he said. While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!” When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.
INVITATION — will you join me tracing the trail of Jeweled Breadcrumbs? Please add your stories of Jeweled Breadcrumbs in the comments. I will respond.
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The assignment that brings me to the writing of these words is to unapologetically tell the story of how God nudges, cajoles, drop kicks and masters me to be the real human being that I am … becoming … following God’s Jeweled Breadcrumbs. My daily writing challenge for 2025 is to share the Breadcrumbs with you.
You may also visit me at https://www.debraasis.org/
