Dear Parishioners
On this Second Sunday of Lent, the Psalmist’s words are of significance – “I will walk before the Lord in the Land of the Living” (Psalm 116:9). Like Abraham, Peter, James and John, we too, walk before the Lord in the land of the living. Abraham’s response to God is “Here I am” (Genesis 22:1-2). Abraham then sets out on journey into the unknown with faith and trust in the God who called him.
I present a question to you this week. What does it mean to be walking in the land of the living?
Each of us have our own unique human experiences; a combination of fulfillment, challenge, uncertainty, joy and happiness, sorrow and regret, growing older, sickness and infirmity, togetherness and separation. Yes to walk in the land of the living is an on-going discovery of human experiences. Yet for the Christian, prayer gives us a glimmer of the Divine in the land of the living. Like Peter, James and John, we follow Jesus and climb the inner mountain, knowing God is with us. Here we discover that sense of Transfiguration, but we know we have to ascend out of prayer and descend back to the land of the living. However, we can be transfigured people in the living land, converted and transformed as we know God is with us in the day-to-day life experiences.
Father Jim
