Need for Cultivating

As I reflect on the readings for the Third Sunday of Lent – [Exodus 3:1 – 8a, 13 – 15; 1 Corinthians10:1 – 6,10 – 12; Luke 13: 1 – 9] – I am drawn to reflect on this question: What have I done with the mercy that God has granted to me in my life’s journey?

I know that I have experienced God’s mercy many times in my life. Some of those times happened when reconciling a relationship after words filled with anger or hurtful attitudes. Some of them were invitations from a friend to change my sinful habits into a new way of being and living. Some were theophanies like the one in the first reading. [Exodus 3: 1 – 8a, 13 – 15]. I know from studying sacred scripture that the mark of biblical theophanies is a sudden appearance of God. Some of my experiences were within that framework.

During the years of my marriage to Carolyn we lived many mountain top moments in the ministries that we experienced in our growing church community. Looking back, I think that pride was starting to seep into my attitudes.  After Carolyn’s passing in 2012, I found myself wandering a bit. God seemed to be inviting me to journey with wounded people, many of whom expressed high anxiety. The invitation to walk with suffering and anxious people has turned out to be a big part of my continuing journey. One powerful example is in the way I have been called to become a spiritual companion for many in the LGBTQ community. Moses, and St. Paul and Jesus walked with and ministered to wounded people.

I often ask myself if this is where I am invited to take God’s mercy and share it with others. Most of the names for God in sacred scripture are action words. Are my actions a way of reflecting God’s mercy in the world around me? The Gospel reading causes me to dig a little deeper into the areas of my life where I must redirect my own sense of pride. As I reflect on this, I pose this question to myself. What attitudes or actions allow the Holy Spirit to be cultivated in my own life?

Where does your life need the cultivating of the Holy Spirit?