All Shall Be Well

“They will hunger no more, and thirst no more; the sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat; for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
Revelation 7

This vision described by John in the Book of Revelation comes after the whole company of heaven is seen surrounding the throne and worshipping God. This is a big picture moment, a poetic vision that paints with large strokes across the canvas of our desire.
When we come to the book of Revelatioin we have already seen a lot. The promise of Nativity, the revelation of Christ’s ministry, the devastation of crucifixion and the joy of Resurrection. We continue to read in Acts about the ups and downs of the early church and so we approach this fantastical book with some trepidation and a tentative hope.
Pushing past the beasts and fires, we do find the words of truth and hope. We find a place to rest upon that echoes some of the earlier resting places. We know the shepherd and we know hunger.
We’ve read about springs of water with the woman at the well, and we’ve experienced the tears that come with grief.
We are ready to hear words of comfort. We are looking for a time when we will be so connected with God that we will no longer wonder about God’s presence with us. And this is what Revelation promises-a time of peace and connection and abundance.
The hunger and thirst described here are the longing that we have for God.
We will no longer need to be wandering in the desert looking for what has been found.
We will see god and we will know God.
As Julian tells us in her Showings of Divine Love:


All shall be well.
And all shall be well.
And all manner of thing shall be well'

We may well ask ourselves how this can be possible. And our questions are not without merit.
But listen at night to the gentle breeze that blows,
See the sun as it rises above the horizon in the morning,
Look into the eyes of a beloved friend or family member-

And remember that these too, are part of the world that God is giving us right now.
These glimpses into a different order of things can keep us saying with Julian that
All shall be well.
And all shall be well.
And all manner of thing shall be well'
Blessings,
Debra

We Are Set Free

Let those who fear the Lord say, “His steadfast love endures forever.”

Out of my distress I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me in a broad place.
Psalm 118

As I sit on my porch writing this reflection I am experiencing a broad place. The air is warm enough with a light breeze. The tree is coming green and shedding petals all around me like a pink and white woven rug. The birds and bugs are singing and humming as they fly or float about their business.
This is a perfect spring day and there are signs of resurrection all around me. Having come through a surprisingly harsh winter the abundance of green is the color of hope.
All of this outdoor exuberance corresponds with the Church’s timetable of Easter this year. It is comforting when creation and liturgical seasons reflect one another.
But, the broad place is often quite difficult to perceive. Our expectations of God’s answers and the reality of God’s answers are quite often disorienting.
Many of you will know who Viktor Frankl is—the author of Man’s Search for Meaning and a concentration camp survivor.
The first part of his book contains reflections on his experience in a concentration camp. Throughout his writing about the most terrible situations human beings can encounter, there is yet a theme of spiritual strength and the human choice to search for meaning.
One day when he was working in the rock quarry he saw his wife’s face before him. He did not know if she was alive or dead but he did know that he loved her and that she loved him.
He writes: ”nothing could touch the strength of my love, my thoughts, and the image of my beloved…
Set me as a seal upon thy heart, love is as strong as death.”
To contemplate the beloved brings the strength of the beloved into us. We become that which we love.
When Frankl was released from the camp, he had lost his entire family, except his sister. He describes his first tentative steps into the countryside outside the camp in this way:
“There was no one to be seen for miles around; there was nothing but the wide earth and the larks’ jubilation and the freedom of space. I stopped, looked around, and up to the sky—and then I went down on my knees…I had but one sentence in mind—always the same:
“ I called to the Lord from my narrow prison,
and He answered me in the freedom of space.”

This is the Resurrection message to us this day, wherever we are. We are invited to offer our narrow prisons—to call out to the Lord for help, for healing, for presence.
And we will be answered with the freedom that each of us needs.
Love heals captivity.
If we are in Christ-we are free indeed!

Blessings,
Debra