Rise Up and Walking…
This series of formation blogs are about rising and walking – it is about bringing our wounds to the feet of Jesus at the Cross so that His body and blood may heal and liberate us. It is falling into the embrace of our loving Father as He imparts new life and wholeness – redeeming our wounds by His Son’s own wounds, by His Passion and by His sacred Humanity and through the gentle working of the Holy Spirit. There may be moments throughout this formation journey where we get in touch with difficult emotions and memories. Remember, this is not a place for guilt, shame or rejection for God only desires mercy, grace, freedom and love. These words of Isaiah 43:1-7 are spoken by God to each of us personally - take a moment to really be embraced by these words:
But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, Jacob , and formed you, Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you [put your name here!]; I have called you by name: you are mine. When you pass through waters, I will be with you; through rivers, you shall not be swept away. When you walk through fire, you shall not be burned, nor will flames consume you. For I, the Lord, am your God, the Holy One of Israel, your savior. I give Egypt as ransom for you, Ethiopia and Seba in exchange for you. Because you are precious in my eyes and honored, and I love you, I give people in return for you and nations in exchange for your life. Fear not, for I am with you; from the east I will bring back your offspring, from the west I will gather you. I will say to the north: Give them up! and to the south: Do not hold them! Bring back my sons from afar, and my daughters from the ends of the earth: All who are called by my name I created for my glory; I formed them, made them.
Our loving Father says to us not to fear for we are already redeemed and He calls us by name – we are His royal, chosen sons and daughters. As we pass through the waters and rivers of our woundedness, our wounds will not sweep us away. As we walk through the fire of our woundedness, we will not be burned or consumed. Rather, God will ransom us unto healing and wholeness. We are precious and honored in the eyes of our Heavenly Father who says to each of us “I love you.” Our Heavenly Father, by the salvation that is ours in Jesus Christ and through the working of the Holy Spirit, says to our woundedness: Give them up! Do not hold them! We are called by our Father’s name and created for His glory!
These words of Saint Peter articulate the essence of it all for me while at the same time providing a great summary:
“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature…” 2 Peter 1:3-4a
Ask: Take a moment to reflect on what is drawing you into this exploration. What is your ‘yes’ about? What are you hoping for as a result of this formation journey .
In the next few series of blogs, we’ll explore Luke’s account of Jesus’ healing of the paralytic (Luke 5:17-36) to discover any intersections between this story of “rising and walking” and our own stories.
