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09.27.05 Tuesdays Reflection

"God speaks to each of us as He makes us

then walks with us silently out the night.

These are the words we dimly hear:

You, sent out beyond your recall,

go to the limits of your longing.

Embody me.

Flare up like flame

and make big shadows I can move in.

Let everything happen to you:

beauty and terror.

Just keep going.

No feeling is final.

Don't let yourself lose me.

Nearby is the country they call life.

you will know it by its seriousness.

Give me your hand."

Rainer Maria Rilke

Responding to the survivors of a hurricane,

Serving as a missionary,

Working at our every day jobs,

Caring for our families,

Being there for a friend in need...

These are opportunities for us to make things happen.

We can make things happen.

And we see the movement of the Holy Spirit in the response.

But what about when it happens to us?

When we are the survivors,

the poor and oppressed,

the client,

the spouse or child,

the friend in need....?

In both instances, the answer is the same,

"Let everything happen to you...

Take my hand."

Peace and blessings to you all,

Betsy Gonwa