Sunday, September 5, 2010

He made it!

Ryan got home on leave from Afghanistan yesterday. He arrived at 3:37pm at Modesto Airport. There was a crowd waiting there, lots of crying and cheering and then it was off to Uno's for lunch.

It was a wonderful homecoming.

I have been thinking about something the last few days. And I know that thinking is ot always my strong suit (the worst phrase a sponsor can hear from a sponsee is 'I have been thinking') but it is around the idea of healing old wounds.

Several months ago Father Cash did a mini-retreat for the RCIA Team. Maybe it was last summer. I can't remember. Whenever it was, the theme of it was becoming more effective as Catechists by healing old wounds.

He took the truth that God is not encumbered by time, space or physics (with all due respect to Stephen Hawkings), then we can ask Him to heal wounds that were inflicted upon us when we were children. The kicker is this: we can ask Him to heal those wounds at the MOMENT they were inflicted.

Father used a part of the Liturgy to explain: Lord, I am not worthy to receive You, but only say the word and I shall be healed.

He suggested that we pause at that point of the Liturgy and ask Jesus to heal whatever wound we feel is keeping us from perfectly serving Him. We ask Him to heal it at the moment it was inflicted.

For me, of course, it was the wound of my father walking out on us. But in the year (I think) since I began to regularly pray this what has happened is that Jesus has revealed to me wounds I did not even think were still there...bothering me.

This morning it was being bullied in grade school because I was a loud-mouthed, overly enthusiastic little kid and the older girls at Christ the King decided I was a geek.

I was seven.

And they would torment me on the playground and if we had combined classes they would call me names under their breath after I read out loud in front of the class.

Now, to be fair? In my memory they are hulking girls...they were nine.

This morning, after I asked people to pray for Wayne-the-Heretic-On-The-Hive, I was doing my morning meditation....and the memory of one of their more viscious attacks hit me like it just happened...and I started praying that prayer...and I felt the memory begin to fade as though my Guardian Angel was wiping it clean with a Holy sponge.

I am going to go eat lunch now. What a deal.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Hurray! for Ryan being home on leave!!!:)

NCSue said...

Congratulations on his safe return. On behalf of a grateful nation, my thanks to him, and to his family.