There are times when my faith comes up short, and like Zacchaeus I am unable to see Jesus through the crowds of my concerns and through the shortcomings of my own nature. In times such as these I rely on my Sisters to help bear me up, to be trees of faith in whose branches I can find support and perspective in my search for God. Likewise, my Sisters sometimes need me to be the one to uphold them in time of need.
This picture was taken last week by one of our employees on the day that Gusmus was being taken down (see previous post). It depicts Sr. Therese on the right and me on the left watching the demolition. There is a pile of rubble before us, the new Retreat Center structures going up beyond that, and the monastic cemetery beyond that (just beyond the trees). It is, to me, a scene that speaks to the nature of monastic life – walking side by side through seasons of death and seasons of life, bearing witness to it all, and supporting one another along the way.
It goes beyond just monastic life, though. We are all called to grow strong and tall in our faith, to let our branches splay wide and free, to be like a sycamore tree in which others can find solace and support in their search to see the Lord Jesus. And when our faith is in short supply, let us not be so proud that we can’t stoop to climb on the shoulders of another, finding among their branches the perspective we need. Because after all we are not merely bearing witness to seasons of death and seasons of life, we are beholding the Lord.
With loving eyes the Lord looks to us in mutual beholding, seeking a home in us even as we find our home in Him.
When he reached that place, Jesus looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house.”
Luke 19