Wedding of Cana: A reflection

John 2:1-12.  My heart's reflection of the Wedding of Cana story.  Though this is a story I feel I often hear, today it sang a different tune and brought forth a semi-poetic thought.  So here it is:

My heart cries out, for it is lost,
It does not know the way.
Seeking Truth, seeking peace,
Where can it turn for refuge?
"Do whatever he tells you"
A gentle, motherly voice says,
"Do whatever he tells you"
Yet my ears seem deaf to the call.
Open my ears to Thy good voice,
The sweet whisper of Your Sacred Heart.
Reveal to me Thy glory;
Change my water into wine.
Make this heart Thine.

In the story of the Wedding of Cana there is a small detail that I for years have overlooked.  It is about the amount of water each jug can hold - its says "holding twenty to thirty gallons".  That is a lot of water/wine!  And it says they "filled them to the brim" (John 2:7)  This is exactly what our Lord wants to do with our souls! When we allow ourselves to "Do whatever he tells you" as Mary advises, he fills us to the brim.  However, the daunting idea of our loads becoming heavy due to being twenty to thirty gallons; heavy like The Cross, we sometimes allow fear to settle in and distance us from that "yes" to "whatever he tells us". But, when we do give ourselves over to be filled, we can enter more deeply into a relationship with Christ, joining into the Mystery of His Suffering. These are the moments that His glory is revealed, and it continues as we continue to say "yes" to him.

Transitions in life.

As you may or may not be aware, I am a nursing student. Since tomorrow morning is my first official day doing "transitions" at the VA Hospital, today has been a day of reflecting on what transitions in life mean, what emotions they elicit, and how to handle such things.

Transitions for nursing is quite an exciting yet scary thing.  It means that you are almost complete with your education, and soon you will be in the "real world" doing "real" nursing.  This course is suppose to help you "Transition" into that role as a professional nurse.

But why are such changes so hard to accept?  I don't know about you, but I like adventure, fun, and spontaneity.  In some cases, like this, transitioning into a new unexpected role doesn't seem as 'fun' as I hoped it would be.  I remember being a little sophmore nursing student just wishing away my time to be a senior going through transitions, and now I can hardly believe that in less than twelve hours I will be stepping onto the Tele/MedSurg unit as a Transitions student.  Though this is exciting, knowing that I am very close to completing my BSN is making me tachy.

It is scary - the unknown.  But why?  I guess because we like to prepare, we like control.  However, our Lord doesn't always allow for this to be the case in our lives.  He asks us to Trust.  To let go of our grip and say, "JESUS I TRUST IN YOU"  So, that is what tonight is, that is what tomorrow is going to be - a leap of faith, a dive into Trust, knowing that HE is the only thing that CAN and WILL make this transition experience grand.

These are the experiences that mold our hearts.  The opportunities we seize to grow in virtue and in our relationship with Christ.

A glorious weekend

This weekend I had a very close friend come visit, miss Ashton.  Its funny how easily a simple visit can turn an ordinary weekend with ordinary activities, into an extraordinary one! So, since my dear friend has departed, I have been thinking about why tasks or activities of such simplicity mean so much when done with someone you cherish.  I believe that it is exact that.  Someone.  Someone you cherish, someone you love.  

I recently saw a quote from Mother Teresa that says "Unless a life is lived for others, then it's not worth living." For about a week now I have been praying with this quote, what makes a life "worth living" or not??   First, worth - what is worth?  Worth is having some kind of value or substance to it.  How easily there are different meanings to the word value even.  Websters (who is my friend for these sorts of questions) says WORTH: monetary value;the value of something measured by its qualities or by the esteem in which it is held; moral or personal value; excellence; wealth, riches. 

Monetary worth - a material worth.  For what substance in life does money bring?  Yes, you may argue that it gives means to sustaining life - but how easily that monetary value/possessions leave us.  Especially with our ever changing and crashing stock-markets and our unemployment rates increasing, this value is merely temporal. Therefor it leads us to maybe temporary fulfillment, to temporary "life worth living".  

Worth by esteem, projected felt worth.  For what substance to life does emotions bring?  Yes, felt worth can lead to a "life worth living" some may say through confidence in ones own abilities.  I must ask where is the emotion coming from?  Is it felt worth being fueled by a fleeting "lovin' feelin'" or from a vain likeness to ones own beauty?  How easily these things fade, beauty and how easily a lovin' feelin' can pass.  So where then, other than once again a temporary value/substance to like does this person hold?  Nothing sustaining. Nothing making life "worth living".

Now then, we come to the moral value, excellence.  Spiritual worth, namely the worth of life.  Down to the heart of it, each person being made in God's image and likeness is part of Him.  Being an irreplaceable part of the Body of Christ, how much more substance do you want? The God of the Universe; He who is Alpha and Omega, makes each person part of His heart. Though this not tangeble like money or maybe felt like strongly like emotion; rather, it is deep within us, engraved upon our souls.  Why else does each person long for completion?  Like something in their life is missing?  Because, if the person does not know the Lord, then they cannot see Christ in the face of every person they encounter and therefor find life not worth living.
If we arent engaging our brothers and sisters at their worth, at their value, at their heart of hearts, the life of Christ within them, we only will find value in some temporary fleeting sense of how to live.  

So today, after having a weekend of being blessed enough to live well, to live it simply with my friends.  I pray that the world can start listening to what that little beautiful Sister said years ago and start living for others.   

Living your life with someone, for someone, and sharing in those times.  That's truly what makes those small tasks extraordinary - walking towards Christ with someone beside you. 

Peace & Prayers,

Stace