April 4/Fifth Saturday of Lent
The LORD shall ransom Jacob, he shall redeem him from the hand of his conqueror.
Shouting, they shall mount the heights of Zion, they shall come streaming to the LORD’s blessings. ~ Jer 31.11-12
All of us, these days, suffer from the “condition we call exile,” to borrow the title of an essay by the late Russian poet Joseph Brodsky. Displaced from our old lives of work or school, banished from churches, gyms, hair salons, and restaurants, we are finding our way in a new world. We are experiencing in ways large and small the separation of exile, as we face the loss of routine, of camaraderie, of connection. These losses are real, and they are painful. Yet in a larger, more theological sense, we have always been exiles, deprived from birth of closeness to God because of our human limitations, barred from being in his presence by our willfulness, pride, or self-love. Exile is a spiritual disequilibrium that leaves our souls disoriented and at sea. To be separated from a place or cut off from people you love, to be alienated from yourself and from God, can feel like a death sentence. Yet as Christians, we believe that the pain and dislocation of life-in-exile will be redeemed by God. The destruction of Jerusalem and the deportation of its citizens to Babylon in the sixth-century BC was cataclysmic for the people of Israel; today’s psalm depicts the joy of their restoration. Once alienated, now forgiven, they — and we — will one day reclaim the rich blessings of home, the joy of restoration. As we ready ourselves to follow anew the path of Christ through death to new life next week, we are reminded that our ultimate destination, too, is to dwell in the presence of God.
O Creator of the earth, the heavens, and all living things, Guide me on the way to the paradise of eternity from the exile of this mortal life. Amen.
To hear VOCES8 sing Stephen Paulus’s “The Road Home,” click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49Og75MrkV8
For today’s readings, click here: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/040420.cfm
Perfect reflection for today, Betsy. Thank you.
Thanks, Jenny. Hope you are all doing well.
Betsy,
I arranged for you to speak at St. Philips Church many years ago when I was heading up the ECW board and I was so enlightened by everything you said. I have subscribed to all of your emails and they give me courage to face each day knowing that our Lord is truly our father and leading us to the promised land. I just want to thank you for your inspiring words and gospel during this time of great unrest. As an immune suppressed individual(having been on low dose chemo for 15 years for RA) I have had my minutes of despair but I know with the help of your encouraging words and scripture that we are all part of God’s plan and trust in him and not worry so much. Blessings, Caroline Burns
Caroline, I appreciate your kind words. I so enjoyed speaking to the women of St. Philip’s a few Advents ago. Hope you are staying healthy and thank you for writing.