Wow, what a crazy week this has been! We started the week with the surprise resignation of Pope Benedict. As the week went on, we learned that there had been hints for quite some time that if the pope reached a point where he felt he couldn’t fulfill his responsibilities, he would step down. It certainly is a time to pray for the Holy Spirit’s wisdom!
Next, we’ve had a week of near miss asteroids and meteors falling from space and causing all kinds of havoc. Funny, almost immediately, people were wondering if the pope, the asteroid and the meteor were somehow divinely connected.
Three big events to be sure, but really? Evidently, meteors are falling from the sky all the time, with those the size of cars hit the earth (mostly ocean) every month or two. The big hit was made all the greater because it affected a whole lot of people. Luckily, no one lost their life.
In the midst of all these big events, life went on normally for the vast majority of us. Ash Wednesday marked the beginning of Lent, the season of prayer and repentance that leads to Easter.
I began in earnest the preparations for a retreat I’ll be leading next January. The image above is from the retreat center I’ll be using, although the grounds won’t look quite like the photo when we gather next winter.
Even though it was quite a week as far as big events go, I’m guessing that your life went on as usual. It’s funny how that works, isn’t it?
Friends, the events of this past week remind us all that life just keeps on moving. Many of us continue to climb out of the economic pit we have found ourselves in, and it appears that there’s now light at the end of the tunnel.
As we face the unexpected surprises of life, we need to remind ourselves that there is a plan for each of us, and we need to have trust that all will be well in the end.
