Last night as I laid down to go to sleep I asked my guardian angel to please wake me at 6 a.m. so I could take a sunrise walk. I have not gone out of my apartment since Friday morning. Fear was overwhelming me. I woke up and sleepily looked out the window to see the sky just starting to get light. I jumped out of bed and looked at the clock - 6 a.m.! I washed up, got dressed and filled a water bottle. I was about 20 minutes into my sunrise walk when the clear thought came to my mind, look up. I was walking looking down as my mind was flooded with what-if's. What if I get COVID-19? What if this lasts into the summer and I can't pay my rent? What if one of my brothers gets COVID-19? What if people I care for die from COVID-19? That thought broke through my what-if's - look up. The beautiful sky stopped me in my tracks and took my breath away. I felt God's presence. His peace flowed over the what-if's. I realized I was smiling. The rest of my walk I kept looking up. I saw the sun rise, bringing with it a new day full of potential. I heard the birds wake up and start singing their welcome to the new day. I felt the breeze that usually comes at sunrise and sunset on my cheeks. When I got home I sat to do my Morning Prayer and read today's Mass readings. Today's first reading is Numbers 21:4-9 - God tells Moses to put a metal snake on a pole and to tell people who have been bitten by a poisonous snake to look up at it and they were healed. The Gospel is John 8:21-30 - Jesus tells people that we belong to this world below and that He is from above. He said that when they lift up the son of man they would see that He is God. Coincidence? I don't believe in them. After I ate breakfast I turned on the radio to my Christian radio station and Look Up Child by Lauren Daigle was just starting. (Click to listen.) God is here...look up.
This is my 10th month serving St. Peter Claver as Director of Faith Formation and I look forward to writing this blog to you. I pray that Jesus rains down His grace on the people of the world as we live through this pandemic together. Laura