April 10, 2013 WBAS Topics Prayer, WBAS Cat Prayers & Reflections, REL Topic- Prayer, REL Asset - Prayer Card
By: Kathy Hendricks
For the past several weeks I feel like I have been in the middle of the American version of the film “If It’s Tuesday, It Must Be Belgium.” My travel schedule has been more intense and extended than usual and so I keep losing track of where I am. Michigan, Maryland, or Massachusetts? East coast or west? Dates and times get jumbled when I am moving from one regional zone to another. I have to think twice before calling home, lest I wake Ron at an unearthly hour.
Despite all of this, I still enjoy the experience. While the traveling itself can be exhausting, I always find myself engaged with the people I meet along the way. This week I am moving through New England and giving a series of talks to catechetical leaders and Catholic school teachers. Their dedication and commitment to their work in sharing the Gospel with children and families renews my energy and revives my jet-lagged spirit.
It makes me wonder if Jesus had the same sense as he journeyed from one place to the next. Did he, too, get confused about where he was when landing in Genessaret or the “land of the Gerasenes” (Mark 5:1)? Was it disorienting to move from sea to grainfield and then up a mountain, all the while pursued by the crowds who sought his teaching, blessing, and healing touch? The key to keeping his focus was engaging with people as he traveled as well as the rest stops he took along the way.
We needn’t be on a world tour to experience this kind of travel. Life itself is a journey and an adventure. Each day can bring us to unexpected places and leave us disoriented and confused if we don’t remain engaged with the process. It can also exhaust us if we don’t, like Jesus, stop to rest and rejuvenate ourselves along the way. My own travels have provided opportunities to do that and I am grateful each time I remember to take them. A nap, a stroll, or simply listening to music on my iPod all provide a respite from the rigors of the road and help me to stay connected with the people I am meeting each day. Then, once again, I remember that I am right where I am supposed to be.
Bright Ideas
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Initiate a conversation with your family or class about the necessities for traveling well. What do you need to take along? Who needs to accompany you? How do you manage to stay engaged with the journey? Then compare these responses to the way we need to travel through each day of life with Jesus as our traveling companion.
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Download my Prayer for Traveling through Life and use it in your home or parish.